Hooked On You
by Jayla Starlight
Summary: After six years of her absence, Spinelli moves back to her hometown, and reunites with the gang. When her and TJ begin a relationship, what will it take for them to keep it a secret?
1. Looking Back

**Before We Begin! An Author's Note**

**Hello everyone! I am Jayla Starlight, and you have the pleasure of reading my first fanfic! Excited? I hope so!**

**The following story was inspired by a dream I had. At first it was about my boyfriend & I, but then there were characters from "Recess" who took it over… funny how weird things like that can happen in dreams! When I woke up, I thought; what a great idea for a fanfic! Just to let you know, I shouldn't be responsible for any similarities between this story and other stories you may have read on here. Like I said, I got this story idea from a dream, not from reading other fics. Hopefully this story won't be too similar to any others… I shall watch out for that as I write.**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own the show Recess or it's characters. But you already knew that I bet.**

_--_

Hooked On You

_a Jayla Starlight FanFic_

_--_

_Chapter One_

_Looking Back_

With one foot on her skateboard, she clung onto the metal fence, peering through it at the building in front of her. A slight breeze gently blew against her long, layered black hair, cooling her from the earlier summer heat. The sun was setting, beautifully coloring the sky with pink, orange, and gold, but she scarcely noticed. Two third graders biked past her, laughing and ringing their bells, but she paid them no attention. All she could do was stare at the scene in front of her.

She couldn't believe where she was. It didn't seem real. It was almost like she was in a dream; she had seen this very place many times before while she slept. But never before this summer did she ever imagine that she'd be back. She closed her eyes, took a deep but silent breath, and opened her eyes. It was real. She was standing in front of Third Street School, where she used to go, six years ago.

All of a sudden, memories flooded back to her with a rush. Childhood memories. She remembered how the highlight of every day was getting to go outside and have recess with her five best friends. Oh, the awesome times they had over the years. Kickball. Basketball. Playing on Old Rusty, the jungle gym. Finding ways to break the rules set by the strict adults. She chuckled to herself as she reminisced about the good ol' days. She replayed many memories in her mind; like the time she replaced Guru Kid and gave the kids of the playground reckless advice. Or the time everyone protested against Old Rusty being torn down. Or the time she had witnessed Swinger Girl swing on to the other side. Or the time she was forced to kiss her best guy friend, TJ Detweiler, to test an experiment about kids kissing. She shook her head and smirked to herself; what a child she was. And for that moment she missed her childhood-self. Also, her childhood buddies. Where were they now? Were they still in this town? Would she meet them again?

Asking herself these questions caused a tiny stab of pain in her heart as she remembered how it all ended. She had recalled one of her very last recesses with her fourth grade friends; the day she told them that she would be moving away. Spinelli. Moving away.

"_Ahh, summer vacation!" TJ had said, stretching out on the ground to welcome the sunshine. "The ultimate recess!"_

"_No more pencils, no more books," Mikey quoted poetically._

"_Yeah guys, too bad we got to wait another two weeks," Vince pointed out._

"_It'll be worth the wait, Vince. It'll be worth the wait," TJ said as he slipped on his brand new pair of sunglasses. _

_It was nearing the end of the fourth grade. The six friends, Spinelli, TJ, Vince, Mikey, Gretchen, and Gus, all sprawled out on the grass, talked excitedly about summer vacation nearing. All were excited that is, except for Spinelli._

"_Any got any plans for summer?" Gus asked everyone._

"_As a matter of fact, I applied for entry into a two-week science camp for prodigies," Gretchen said with a goofy smile. "And I got in!" _

"_Congrats, Gretch!" TJ gave her thumbs up._

"_I'm going to be going to camp too!" Vince said proudly. "But not a science camp. That would remind me too much of school. It's a basketball camp!"_

"_Sounds awesome, man!" TJ grinned._

"_Our family's going camping at some point," Mikie told everyone. We do every summer. Nothing like the great outdoors!" _

_After TJ and Gus had shared their summer plans as well, TJ looked over at Spinelli. She stared wordlessly at the blue sky, arms crossed in front of her chest, biting her lip. Something's not right, so TJ thought. He decided to investigate._

"_Hey Spinelli! What are you doing for summer vacation?"_

_Spinelli jerked out of her disheartening thoughts. "Wha-? Sorry Teej… you say somethin'?"_

"_Yeah, I did. What are you doing for summer vacation?"_

_Spinelli shifted uncomfortably, and tightened her crossed arms, stomach sinking within her. _"Ohh man…"_ she thought with dismay. _"I guess they got to know sooner or later…" _She took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm, umm… I'm moving." she said, barely audible. _

"_You're…what?" TJ lowered his sunglasses and turned his head toward her._

"_I'm… moving." Spinelli said again, only a fraction louder._

"_What did she say?" TJ turned to Vince, who merely shrugged his shoulders._

"_You're going to have to speak up Spinelli, none of us can hear you," Gretchen advised.._

_Spinelli brought her arms to her side and clenched her fists. She couldn't believe that they didn't hear her, after she had announced it two times. She didn't want to say it once more, nor did she even want to tell them in the first place. Frustration boiled inside her, and she felt herself lose control._

"_I'M MOVING, YOU DIMWITS!!"_

_It seemed as if everyone and everything was frozen in time._

"_I'M MOVING AND I'M NEVER COMING BACK!! DID YOU HEAR ME THAT TIME?!"_

_Spinelli brusquely turned on her side, facing away from the group. She felt hot anger pound on her face, yet at the same time she couldn't help but feel guilty for yelling at her friends at a time like this. It seemed like ages before someone finally spoke up._

"_Whatcha talkin' bout, Spinelli?" _

_Spinelli hesitantly turned to face the speaker. TJ was on his side, sunglasses in his hand, staring at her with such a look of concern in his eyes. In the same serious, confused tone he had used in his last query, he continued speaking._

"_Is this for real? You're… joking, right?" _

_Spinelli squirmed inside as she stared into her best friend's unhappy eyes. She had refused to believe it when her parents broke the news to her the other night, she just thought they had to be joking… but ever since then something had been slowly eating at her insides; letting her know this wasn't a joke her parents were playing. And looking upon the sadness of TJ's face made it all hit home. She really was moving, and she was never going to see him again. This move wouldn't just affect her; but all her friends as well._

"_Teej… I wish I was joking…" Spinelli said miserably. "But I'm not. I'm moving, and that's that. Goodbye forever…" _

The rest of the memory was a blur to Spinelli. Good of it too, because she didn't really want to remember anymore of the sadness and disappointment of her elementary school companions when they heard this bitter news. She had been too anguished during the whole situation to really recall what her friends had said about it all. The only reaction she'd never forget was TJ's.

Spinelli finally pulled her gaze away from the school, and noticed her surroundings for the first time since she had come across this familiar place. The sun had set, the indigo sky budding stars by the minute. The breeze had gotten a tad bit stronger and cooler. Not a soul was in sight. She looked down at her green and black digital watch. She promised her parents she'd be home ten minutes ago, and had completely lost track of time.

Figuring she had better head home soon, Spinelli took one last look at the school and the playground. She imagined the playground fully occupied; with the kids she used to know. She imagined Swinger Girl on the swing, the Diggers digging in a far off corner, Upside-down girl, well, upside-down, Guru Kid sitting a blanket under a tree, King Bob on his throne. She imagined her and her friends, playing kickball in the field, beating the shorts off their fifth grade rivals. She laughed out loud as she imagined herself kicking the ball right into Lawson's face, and TJ giving her a high five on the side lines as she ran to first base. Oh the joys of the imagination.

With a sigh, Spinelli forced herself to look away. It was time she went home, and made sure she had a good night's sleep; tomorrow would be a big day. She stepped on her skateboard, and, with a salute towards Third Street School, she headed on home, feeling and hearing the scrape of concrete as she rolled down the sidewalk.

_--_

**Hope you enjoyed this first chapter, please review!**


	2. Rushing To Be Early

Hooked On You

Hooked On You

_a Jayla Starlight FanFic_

_--_

_Chapter Two_

_Rushing To Be Early_

_Beep beep beep!_

Spinelli hated that noise. It could have possibly been her absolute least favorite sound, especially when it was 6:45 in the morning. With an exasperated sigh, she turned on her side and stopped the infuriating beeping from her alarm clock.

_"Just five more minutes…" _Spinelli thought, staring at the beige ceiling. _"Five more minutes, and I guess I'll get up… God, I'm tired." _She rubbed her eyes sleepily; _"this is what I get when I don't arrive home on time and stay up later than I should have,"_ she concluded. She tired so hard to stay awake for those self-promised five minutes, but her eyelids were like magnets; without her awareness, they had slowly, but heavily, closed together. She drifted back off…

--

"Honey, are you ready in there?"Mrs. Spinelli knocked on her daughter's door. "It's 7:30, you only have a half hour left!"

Spinelli awoke with a startle at the sound of her mother's voice and glanced at the clock. It was indeed 7:30.

"Damn it!" Spinelli threw the covers off her and bounded out of bed. "I must have dozed off! Man, I hate being rushed!" Like a flash, she darted out her bedroom door, into the hallway and to bathroom. To Spinelli's shame, she knew she had no time to shower, but she had her teeth to brush, and of course, other "bathroom priorities".

When Spinelli had arrived back in her room, she swiftly opened her closet door to pick an outfit. She had selected her favorite jeans; grey-colored, tight fitting on the behind, but loose fitting in the legs. For a top, she picked out a black tee with the silver words "Rock Star", heavily decorated with gleaming images and text, all relating to music.

These were choice words for Spinelli; besides skateboarding, a great interest of hers was music. Rock was her style of music, and she had been playing the guitar since the seventh grade. As told by people who had heard her play, she excelled at it. Before putting on her chosen clothes, she glanced over near her bedside at her sunburst colored JT-300 Classic Double Cutaway Electric Guitar; the one she had owned ever since she started to learn how to play. As it always seemed to do, the guitar seemed to seduce her, seemed to call out to her, _"play me, Spinelli!"_ but of course, she had to resist the urge this time. She had to be somewhere in less than 30 minutes.

After she was dressed, Spinelli looked in the mirror, to find her hair in an unpleasant mess. Taking her hairbrush to it, she transformed her hair from a tangled disaster to a soft flow of black hair, layered, down a few inches past her shoulders. She never usually bothered to do much with it; she either pulled it back into a ponytail, or left it down, like she decided to do today. And she never straightened it. And, of course, being Spinelli, she never wore makeup. She thought she was fine just the way she was. Besides, in her opinion, makeup was girly. Spinelli, girly? The thought sounded outrageous. Sure, her appearance had feminized since elementary by a decent amount, but that was part of growing up. Spinelli could proudly say that she could grow up without makeup and obsessing over her hairstyle.

By the time Spinelli was finished getting ready and went into the kitchen, she had only seven minutes left to eat breakfast and head out the door. Could she do it, she wondered? She hated so much to be rushed at anything, especially eating. But to her dismay, she had no choice but to rush. She poured herself a bowl of Fruit Loops, abruptly sat down at the kitchen table, and ate with haste. She absolutely did not want to be late on her first day of high school.

--

It was a bright and sunny September day, not a breeze to be felt. If you were standing still. In Spinelli's case, air whipped at her face as she hurriedly skated down the side of the road instead of the sidewalk, to avoid pedestrians. Her new school was only a few blocks from where she lived, so it was fair skating distance. But would she get there in less than one minute? It was nearly impossible, and she knew it, but hurried just the same.

Two and a half minutes over the limit, Spinelli finally arrived at her destination; High School. She knew by first glance this was definitely not Third Street Elementary School; instead of a playground, which had play equipment, a basketball court, and a kickball field, there was a courtyard, with benches, shrubs, flower beds, tall trees for shade, and a large fountain in the center. But that wasn't all that was in the courtyard.

Spinelli couldn't help but notice the mass of high school students standing around outside. Skateboard in her hand, one strap book bag over her shoulder, she walked through the crowd, baffled. Why were all these people still out here? Didn't school start at 8:00, almost three minutes ago? Spinelli decided to investigate.

"Excuse me," Spinelli said, nudging a rather tall, skinny boy with wavy, shoulder-length blond hair, who was standing alone. "Why isn't anyone going inside?"

The boy gave her a warm smile. "Well, perhaps everyone is enjoying this fine morning weather, as I am myself. Care to join me?"

With slight apprehension, Spinelli raised an eyebrow at the boy, fully knowing his response wasn't that of a typical teenager. Was that truly his personality, or was he just coming on to her?

"I thought school started at 8:00," Spinelli pointed out to him, "It is-"she glimpsed at her watch, "8:03!" she glimpsed at it again, "no, wait, 8:04 now!"

The boy gave a hearty laugh. "Goodness, wherever did you hear that? School begins at 8:30!"

Spinelli paused, letting what she just heard sink in.

"You've got to be kidding…" Spinelli said, almost darkly. Damn her mother for telling her school started at 8:00! She couldn't believe she had rushed for nothing! To think she could have had a shower this morning! At the thought of this, she shifted uncomfortably, hoping her deodorant would cover up that fact.

The boy put a gentle hand on Spinelli's shoulder, catching her by surprise. "I tell you the truth, my friend. Learning starts at 8:30."

Spinelli took an upward glance at the boy with the hand on her shoulder. Something was definitely different about him; the way he had with his words clearly stated that he wasn't like any other teenager. And being so, she thought she would feel awkward, standing alone with him, but to her amazement, she felt surprisingly serene, quite comfortable, just like he seemed to be about her.

"Oh, I cannot wait until 8:30!" the boy said with delight. "I have English class first, it should be so enlightening! What class do you have first, may I ask?" He dug into his jeans pocket. It was then that Spinelli realized that she did not have her school schedule.

"Where do you get those things?" Spinelli pointed at the unfolded sheet of paper the boy had just gotten out of his pocket.

"Did you not get mailed a school schedule? Everybody else had them mailed to them… perhaps you should check at the office; maybe yours got misplaced in the mail, or quite possibly they failed to remember to mail it."

"Well, I am sort of new to the area…" Spinelli figured this was the reason. She had only been back in this town for about four days; they most likely did not get her new address. "I suppose I should go find the office and get my schedule, huh?"

"A very excellent idea, my friend!" the boy beamed. "And let me just say, welcome to the area! It'll be wonderful to have you here!" He extended his hand in greetings.

Spinelli thanked him and shook his hand with a quirky smile. This guy was priceless. She didn't know what exactly was up with him and his eccentric ways, but she knew she'd have to hang with him again sometime, just for kicks.

Before Spinelli turned to walk away and go inside the school, the boy said one last thing. "If you ever need a friend to speak to, I'll lend you my ears. My name is Michael. Michael Blumberg. But you may call me Mikey."

--


	3. Outside A Locked Classroom

Hooked On You

Hooked On You

_a Jayla Starlight FanFic_

_--_

_Chapter Three_

_Outside A Locked Classroom_

Inside the school, Mikey's voice rang through Spinelli's head as she opened the door and went into the school office, which was to the left side of the main lobby. Those were the exact words she heard, and she was in astonishment. Yet in her mind, she couldn't help but believe it had to be true, and wondered why she had failed to see it when she first came across this 'stranger'.

On the inside, he was the same Mikey that she knew as a child. He was a peaceful, poetic, free-spirit then, and he stayed that way to his teen years, so it seemed. But on the outside; wow, did he ever change his appearance! Mikey had lost a considerable amount of weight, and that was probably the first thing she had noticed un-Mikey-ish about him that way. His long hair too was also a definite distinction from the Mikey she used to know. Whenever she thought about how her childhood friends might have changed since the fourth grade, she often pictured the opposite for Mikey. Still a big guy, with short blond hair; but who had grown out of his peaceful, poetic, free-spirit manner, and who had changed into someone else. A typical teenager. But apparently, this wasn't the case for Mikey. It was now no surprise why Spinelli had felt comfortable around this boy; it was Mikey. She hoped she would see him again around the school, for she had been too astounded at the time to reintroduce herself to him as Spinelli. She had just walked away, stunned…

"Excuse me, are you next in line?" said a harsh voice.

Spinelli jumped out of her thoughts to see a grey-haired office secretary sitting at the front desk, glaring at her through round-rimmed spectacles. Giving her a cold stare herself, Spinelli stepped up to the desk.

"I need a schedule. I just moved here, so I didn't get mine," Spinelli said.

"What is your name? Can't print a schedule without a name!" the secretary said impatiently, turning to her computer.

Spinelli hitched her book bag higher on her shoulder with irritation. "Ashley Spinelli," she said, slightly cringing inside. Even to this day, she detested the name Ashley. Through narrowed eyes, she watched the bitch of a secretary type her name into the computer, bringing up her school schedule. With a click of the mouse, she printed it off.

After Mrs. Bitch handed Spinelli her printed schedule, she eyed Spinelli's skateboard in her hand with disgust. "You need to put that in your locker right away. It's not allowed in school."

Spinelli gripped tighter onto her skateboard with infuriated stubbornness. "Listen lady, I got two reasons why I can't do that. Number one, I don't even have a freakin' locker yet to put it in, this is my first day for crying out loud! And number two, why the hell is it causing a problem? It's not like I'm going to ride it indoors, damn it! What do you think I am, retarded?" And with a ruthless snatch of her schedule out of the offended secretary's hand, Spinelli turned on her heal and strode out of the office. Sometimes it took as little as an uptight adult to piss Spinelli off.

Cooling down as she walked through the main lobby, she took a look at her schedule. For 1st period, it read _Mathematics 10 Academic, Phillips, Rm. 046. _

_"Great,"_ Spinelli thought sardonically as she lowered the schedule from her face to her side. _"My favorite subject first thing in the morning… not!" _She skimmed through the rest of her schedule.

_Period 2: Physical Education 10, Davis, GYM2_

_Period 3: English 10 Academic, MacLeod, Rm. 025._

_Period 4: Music 10 Strings, Graham, Rm. 149._

A smile spread across Spinelli's face as she saw that she had guitar class this semester. If anything could cheer her up, it was her guitar, her most prized possession. The thought of getting to play 'her baby' everyday at school for a whole period gave Spinelli a spring in her step as she set out to find room 046, her math class.

--

She wasn't quite sure how she managed it, but Spinelli had discovered room 046 a mere 10 seconds before the morning bell. She had found it on the 2nd floor, a green door with the sign_ "Rm. 046: Mr. Phillips, Academic Math 10, 11, 12". _She had tried to open the door to the classroom, but it was locked. After her failed attempt to open it, she gave a small shrug to herself and decided to just wait for a teacher or someone to come unlock the door. Spinelli leaned against the wall beside the door, putting one black and white skate shoed foot onto her skateboard that was placed on the floor. She secretly observed the swarm of students bustling up and down the hallways, all trying to find their first class. After all, it was the beginning of the school year for everyone, not just Spinelli.

A straight-haired blonde came briskly walking along, taking a quick glance at the classroom door's sign, only to stop abruptly and stride over to try and open the door.

Spinelli heard the blonde girl curse under her breath when the door would not budge. She whirled around in a huff to look at Spinelli.

"Why the hell did they lock this door?" the girl asked Spinelli, snippily, as if she was blaming her for this predicament.

The girl was wearing a pink halter top, tight white sweater, denim mini skirt and pink high heels. Hair flat-ironed straight, side bangs on the left side. If her makeup had been a pizza, it would have been the works. Spinelli gave her a death stare; she looked preppy, a girly-girl.And she seemed the worse kind of girly prep too; ill-tempered. A bitch. A type of girl Spinelli had always despised.

"Maybe they wanted to keep out certain people…" Spinelli suggested slyly, and then she coughed. Oddly enough, that cough sounded like "you."

The girly-girl eyed Spinelli with displeasure, not seeming to have picked up on Spinelli's comment, but more so at Spinelli's non-girly image. With a scoff and a flick of her hair, the girl faced away from Spinelli, only to see more people heading towards the math class.

"Oh my God, tell me _you're_ not in my math class!"

Spinelli looked over to see who the girly-girl was talking to. She seemed to be directing her angry stare at a rather tall girl, who too seemed girly, but in a different way, a way Spinelli could handle. She wore a sequin gold tank top with black pants, and had her curly auburn hair up in a high ponytail. Her face was kind and good-looking, and even though she wore no makeup, she was by far prettier than the blonde, naturally.

"Alright then," the newly arrived girl replied, "I won't tell you. Even though it appears to be true." She crossed her arms, and shifted her weight onto one foot. Spinelli thought at first this was a stance of annoyance, but the look of slight smugness on her face changed Spinelli's mind.

"God, watch you be the teacher's favorite _again_ this year… you're so aggravating!" the blonde girl said, hand on her hip.

Spinelli noticed that this tall girl did not seem the least bit intimidated of the ill-tempered blonde. In fact, was that a smile playing on her lips?

"I wonder why that's always the way it is," the tall auburn said, putting her index finger to her head, pretending to think. "Oh right! Maybe it's because I work for my grades, and not try to kiss up to the teacher for marks, like you do!"

The blonde girl's eyes widened and her jaw dropped, like she had just taken a slap in the face. She sputtered for a moment, before blurting out, "Yeah, well, that top is too flashy!" She cried out, pointing an unsteady finger at the shiny goldenness of the girl's tank top. Was this her big comeback? Spinelli could easily tell what this girl's problem was; she was jealous of the tall, pretty auburn girl. But was it just about being a teacher's "favorite"? Spinelli considered that there was something more to it than that.

Just as Spinelli thought this, along came a male teacher, parting the crowd of students standing in front of the locked classroom. He was carrying a set of keys.

"Hey guys, sorry about the hold up," presumably Mr. Phillips, the math teacher, said as he jiggled the key into the slot and turned it. A click sounded from the door as it opened, and Spinelli, picking up her skateboard, and followed the rest of her new math classmates as they all piled into the classroom. Spinelli looked around; the many desks made the room look a little crowded... were those Post-It notes on the desks?

"Just find the desk with your name on it," said Mr. Phillips, scratching his 5 o'clock shadow. "This is a temporary seating plan, so I get to know your names."

Spinelli found her seat at the back of the class. She set her skateboard down beside her desk on the floor, and hung the strap of her book bag over the back of her chair. She casually looked to her left, and to her repulsion, found the preppy blonde girly-girl sitting next to her. Making a face, she turned away and rested her head on her hand, propped up by her elbow. As everyone was getting settled, a strange bout of curiosity overcame Spinelli, for reasons she did not know at the time. She glanced sideways to peek at the orange Post-It note on the girl's desk.

_"Ashley Armbruster."_

Spinelli scowled, feeling bitter; she should have known. This girl was an Ashley, from back in the day. Bad memories burned inside of Spinelli's mind as she was mentally transported back, unwillingly.

The Ashleys were a clique at Third Street School, only for girls named Ashley, of course. And these girls were _girly_. Spinelli hated them for that reason, also for sharing their name, and for their constant derision and taunting of her tomboyish ways. Spinelli darkly remembered all the times the Ashleys ridiculed her, and, she shuddered, tried to convert her to become one of them. She'd always make sure to get back at those Ashleys, anything to get revenge of some kind. And now, on Spinelli's first day of high school, she was forced to sit by the Ashleys' appointed leader, Ashley A. She hadn't changed a bit; perhaps she had gotten worse.

"Hello, class!" Mr. Phillips stood at the front of the classroom, straightening his Pac-Man tie, "Welcome to grade 10 academic math…"

All students were seated now, most sat silently as Mr. Phillips spoke. There had to be at least thirty of them, which explained the reason for the many desks. Spinelli scanned the class, wondering if any of these classmates of hers were former Third Street Schoolers. Or would she be stuck with only Ashley A.?

--

**Well, I'm glad I got her settled! Now, the fun can begin. Don't expect a new chapter until later next week… I'm going to be in Ottawa, May 14****th****-18****th****, on a school band trip. Sweetness! Anyways, hopefully the next chapter will be worth the wait. I'm thinking it will be. In the meantime, please review! I need to know what you all think! Or better, if anyone's even reading this! So review…please? )**


	4. The Math Class Late Comer

Hooked On You

**A/N: Hey everyone, I'm back (finally) with a new chapter! Sorry to all my readers about the long wait… with band trips and projects to attend to, it's hard to find time to write and post. Exams are coming up too, so the next chapter might be a little bit of a wait as well, but hopefully not as long. Once exams are over; expect frequent updates! **

_--_

Hooked On You

_a Jayla Starlight FanFic_

_--_

_Chapter Four  
__The Math Class Late-Comer_

Up near the front of the classroom, in the second row of desks, the tall, pretty auburn who bickered with Ashley Armbruster in the hallway just minutes ago, sat in her assigned seat, crossed legged, and listened intently to Mr. Phillips as he spoke, chewing on the end of her pen with perfectly straight teeth.

Mr. Phillips gave the class a warm welcome. He then gave an informative summary about what kind of math the class would be taught over the year. Linear Equations, Radicals, Trigonometry, etc. As the teacher spoke, the tall auburn summed up his words by writing a list on a sheet of lined paper, thinking this was a smart idea. But it was all in vain, for Mr. Phillips passed out a course overview sheet after he was finished talking. When the yellow sheet of paper was passed to the girl, her face fell slightly, but then she shrugged it off, thinking it was best that she had two copies of the math course synopsis anyway, just in case she had ever misplaced one. Even though misplacing anything school-like was improbable for her. She carefully placed both sheets into her red binder's inside cover pocket, and then turned her attention back to the teacher.

To put it simple; many people viewed this girl as perfect. With her good looks, brains, and attitude, she pretty much had everything that any girl could ever want. Most envied her, but not so much that they didn't like her. She was very likeable person, no doubt about that. But there were some that detested her and their jealousy ran deep. Ashley A., for example. Fortunately for the flawless girl, she could deal with people like Ashley A. without a flinch. Well, most of the time.

Just as Mr. Phillips walked over to his desk to look for the class attendance sheet, the door creaked open. A series of heads turned towards the subject of the sound. Included was Spinelli, who glanced up from her math outline to take a look. There at the door, looking around quite cautiously was a boy with brown hair slightly past his ears, covered by a red cap that he wore backwards.

Spinelli felt her jaw slack, and her stomach did a funny flip-flop as she stared with bewilderment at the late-coming boy. She knew she felt a sense of recognition, but she wondered if it was for real. Was it just her, or was that an older version of her childhood best friend, TJ Detweiler, standing in the doorway?

It certainly looked like him; the hat on his head said it all. But was it really TJ? Chances were, out of a school of over one thousand students, it was highly unlikely for the both of them to be in the same math class. And could it be possible that this was a fake feeling she was creating for herself? Just a longing to see him again, perhaps? She wasn't sure… but she knew she was going to find out.

"Ahh, welcome to math, young man," said Mr. Phillips, not unkindly, "you're just in time; I was just about to take attendance!" Mr. Phillips signaled him to step in, and the boy gave a smirk as he reluctantly took off his red hat, secretly thankful that the teacher didn't lecture him on tardiness. He made his way to the last empty desk in the second row, sitting right beside the perfect auburn.

The girl turned towards the boy and eyed him curiously. "You're late," she stated. "Explanation?"

The boy ran his hand through his hair, shaking his head. "I may have had a bit of trouble finding this class…" he said with a sly smile. "Honestly, I think I must have searched through the entire school before ending up here."

The girl cocked her head to the side and smiled knowingly. "Considered exploring the school before actually arriving to your intended class, am I right?"

With a chuckle, the boy stretched out his legs under the desk and slouched in his seat. "You got me there, Grundler."

Whilst the two were talking quietly, Mr. Phillips, with his green clipboard in hand, started calling out the names of students in alphabetical order by surname, starting with Ashley Armbruster. Spinelli awaited anxiously on the edge of her seat as he reached the D last names, hoping she would hear that one familiar name. _"Detweiler…. Detweiler…"_

"Theodore Detweiler!"

As Mr. Phillips voice sounded, Spinelli's stomach did another funny flip flop. The boy in the second row raised his hand. Spinelli finally knew for certain; it really was TJ. She then felt an eruption of excitement burst from within her; she couldn't wait for Mr. Phillips to call out her name, hoping to see TJ's reaction. She slid even closer to the edge of her seat. Before Spinelli knew it though, she had heard another familiar name.

"Gretchen Grundler!"

Spinelli leaned slightly back in her seat, astounded, as the tall, pretty auburn-haired girl she had witnessed feuding with Ashley A. in the hallway earlier raised her hand and declared "present!". Spinelli just couldn't comprehend it; this really cool, good-looking girl in her academic math class was actually her childhood friend, Gretchen, who at the time was a lanky, rather awkward-looking girl with large glasses who seemed to know everything. Spinelli pondered two things; how Gretchen changed her looks so drastically, and why was she only in standard-level math, when she was more than quite capable of surpassing advanced?

Back up near the front of the room, TJ and Gretchen were whispering to each other as their classmates' names were called.

"So, what all did I miss at the beginning of class?" TJ asked, having full confidence in Gretchen to be able to fill him in successfully.

Gretchen's eyes lit up and she opened her binder, pulling out the extra math course outline Mr. Phillips had handed to her, and passing it to TJ, while keeping her own written one inside the binder pocket. That extra copy really did come in handy.

"Math course synopsis," Gretchen said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "This could come useful for you. Though I must say it would have been more effective for you if you had have arrived to class on time and heard what Mr. Phillips had to say about it, instead of getting "lost"."

"What can I say?" TJ replied with a shrug, "math I don't always "find easy"!" Gretchen rolled her eyes, but also couldn't help but smile at TJ's somewhat clever remark. "But for serious," TJ said as he folded up the yellow sheet of paper and slipped it into his pocket to read later, "thanks for getting me an extra copy of this! Don't know if I'd ever survive school without-"

"Ashley Spinelli!"

TJ froze in mid-sentence. He felt strange tingle coming from his insides, and an image of a petite but fierce looking nine-year-old tomboy flashed in his mind. He glanced at Gretchen, who slowly looked back at him with wide, shocked eyes. She too had heard the name called from Mr. Phillips attendance list. For a moment they both sat silently in disbelief, shock, and wonder. Without warning, TJ hastily spun around in his chair, accidentally bumping into Gretchen with his flung arm, and looked around the room wildly, searching.

"Over here, Mr. P," Spinelli calmly waved at Mr. Phillips, though inside she was nothing but calm. TJ had recognized her name! He knew she was back! And he was looking around for her. Spinelli stared him down, a small smirk forming on her face. As if TJ felt her gaze from across the room, his wandering eyes landed straight in Spinelli's direction, and into her dark, staring eyes.

--

**There you go, an introduction to TJ! Hope you liked this chapter; don't forget to review, please! To all those who have reviewed before, thank you so much!! It's awesome to know I have readers. )**


	5. Stares, Hugs, & Kisses

Hooked On You

**A/N: Hey!! Sorry for another long wait from the last chapter to this one… exams had to be my main priority for a couple weeks there. But I have very good news for you all: NO MORE EXAMS!! This can mean at least one thing: FREQUENT UPDATES throughout the summer!! Hope this makes my readers happy, that's what I aim to do. Hope you enjoy this chapter!!**

Hooked On You

_a Jayla Starlight FanFic_

_--_

_Chapter Five  
__Stares, Hugs, & Kisses_

As their eyes met, it had seemed that both their worlds had slowed down, their classmates around them slowly vanishing and seemingly insignificant. All they could see was each other, and all they could do was stare at each other, transfixed. It had been way too long since the two of them had seen each other, so it was hard to believe that now, after six years of separation, they were staring into each other's eyes, within four walls of a high school math classroom. The older versions of one another fascinated them.

When TJ looked at Spinelli, he couldn't help but notice how her dark eyes, tanned complexion, and black layered hair seem to make her look so eye-catching. She definitely wasn't a pig-tailed rough-looking tomboy anymore, and she actually looked… pretty? TJ half-wondered whether or not he should be thinking that about an old childhood friend, especially when it was Spinelli, but he brushed that thought aside as she continued to gaze upon her.

In Spinelli's eyes, TJ had gotten taller, and somewhat thinner than he was back in the day. His brown hair was slightly longer, his eyes were slightly bluer. He was, dare she admit it, actually a nice-looking boy, compared to most. Suddenly a thought jumped into Spinelli's mind. A memory, actually.

_Spinelli was about to do the last thing she ever wanted to do. She stood there, grimacing and wincing as she unwilling faced her doom: to kiss TJ. And just how did she get herself into this predicament? An experiment. One boy, one girl, and the effects of a kiss between them. The thought of kissing a boy made Spinelli want to gag. Why, oh why did she draw the shortest straw when her and her friends decided this way to choose the two victims? Why couldn't Gretchen be the girl, wasn't this 'experiment' her idea in the first place? And why did that infuriating snitch Randall blab to the entire school about the event? Spinelli flexed her knuckles and narrowed her eyes, giving the crowd of Third Street spectators a death stare. She couldn't run away now; not with the whole school watching her every move. Besides, Spinelli never ran away from her problems, being the tough tomboy she was. And even though that's exactly what she desired to do at that moment of time, she took a deep breath and decided to get it over with. _

_TJ looked down at his shoes, then back up at Spinelli, which made her wince once more. She saw TJ move in… and with a scrunched-up face, clenched fists, and uneasy stomach, she puckered up and their lips met. _

_It was brief, but Spinelli couldn't help but be shocked at how disgusting it… wasn't? Her face relaxed slightly as she welcomed her and TJ's blissful union. When they broke apart, the students of Third Street School watched in anticipation for their reactions. Shouts of disgust and wads of spit flew from both their recently kissed lips. TJ seemed truly perturbed by it all, whilst Spinelli knew that was the way she was expected to act, and would not act any other way outwardly. But deep inside she secretly could not believe the feeling of enjoyment she had when she kissed TJ…_

Just then, Spinelli snapped out of her trance and fully realized that she was just staring at TJ Detweiler… and not even bothering to wave to him! Keeping it cool, she recovered with a smirk and a wave.

In a trance as well, TJ was immediately launched back to the presence of the math classroom when Spinelli had waved to him. A little flushed, but not letting on that he was, he gave her a nod of acknowledgment and grinned back at her. TJ then felt a hand on his shoulder.

"What?" TJ asked as he turned to find the hand being Gretchen's, trying to get his attention.

"Teej," she whispered, nodding to the front of the classroom. Standing with his hands behind his back, Mr. Phillips was staring curiously at TJ.

"Does something interest you back there, Theodore?"

Thinking of the best answer for the teacher, TJ came back with, "Oh, no sir," but then thinking of Spinelli, "well… actually, yes-"

"Can you face front for me, please?" asked Mr. Phillips. "I know I'm not the most good-looking person in the room," a few students sniggered at Mr. Phillip's comical words, "but I'd like you're attention just the same."

"Absolutely sir, I can do that," TJ said confidently, "and let me just say, sir, you look well, very well indeed. Gotta love the Pac-Man tie!"

A broad smile came across Mr. Phillips face. "Thank you, Theodore! You really know how to get on a teacher's good side, don't you?"

"I know a lot about the subject," TJ stated proudly, leaning back.

Mr. Phillips was about to reply when the classroom phone rang. With a surprised expression, Mr. Phillips strode over to his desk area where the phone hung on the wall and answered it after the fourth ring.

"Hello? … not bad… trying to get my class started…failing at doing so, thanks for asking… oh really? Right now? Should I get a substitute teacher? …oh, not going to take long, huh? Well, alright then, I'll be down in a jiffy. Bye."

Mr. Phillips hung up the phone and scanned the classroom, looking unsure. "Ok guys… apparently my assistance is needed down in the office… I'll be gone for a bit, so I guess I'll have to leave one of you in charge. So… who's a responsible young person?"

TJ took Gretchen's arm and raised it up for her, making her laugh. "Gretchen's responsible! I nominate her to be in charge!"

"Do you accept, Gretchen?" Mr. Phillips inquired.

"I'd be honored to take leadership in your time of absence," Gretchen smiled, as TJ let go of her arm and said, "Tender!" Spinelli chuckled at the scene, but was immediately irritated when a groan emitted out of Ashley A's heavily lip-glossed mouth. Spinelli felt like telling Ashley A. to roll up that fashion magazine she was browsing through and shove it into her trap, but she resisted; she didn't want to make a big scene… while Mr. Phillips was still here.

"Excellent!" a pleased Mr. Phillips said. "If anyone gets out of line, make sure you set them straight! Keep an extra eye on Theodore here!" he said, winking.

"Hey now, that's no way to be, Mr. Phillips," TJ said defensively, "I thought we were cool! Man, don't you remember, I complimented your Pac-Man tie!"

Mr. Phillips laughed and shook his head, "Oh, I'm just messing with you, Theodore! And don't you know; nobody can resist the charm of the Pac-Man tie." Mr. Phillips tugged on his beloved tie, and he turned and headed towards the exit. Before closing the classroom door behind him, he said, "Behave you guys, and listen to Gretchen!"

For a moment, everyone sat in dead silence in the teacher-less classroom. Spinelli looked around at everyone, waiting for someone to speak. And taking Mr. Phillips' words into action, Spinelli kept an extra eye on TJ, thinking he would be the one to break the silence. Unfortunately, the one who spoke up first was Spinelli's least favorite person in the room.

"I knew it would this would happen sooner or later," Ashley A. said loudly, crossing her arms. "Gretchen Grundler, teacher's favorite!"

TJ spun around in his seat, glaring at Ashley A. "Don't be so sour Ashley; Gretchen deserves the right to be in charge! She's attentive and responsible in class, and look at you, reading that magazine!" he gestured at the magazine, a disgusted look on his face. "Put it away, why don't you?"

"Why should I listen to you, Detweiler?" Ashley A. pulled the magazine closer to her face in defiance. "Remember, Grundler's the one in charge… but wait, why should I listen to her either? She's not worth my attention!"

"Oh, shut up," TJ rolled his eyes at Ashley A. and then looked straight at Spinelli, who couldn't help but smile at him. "There are more important things to attend to at the moment!" And with that, TJ got up, strode over to Spinelli, bent down and hugged her in her seat. He had missed her so much; it had been ages since they had last came in contact with one another, so he couldn't help but hug her right then and there.

At first, Spinelli was stunned that TJ would give her such a big, tight hug, right in front of the whole classroom. Or even give her a hug at all, because it just seemed so out of character for him. But then she realized why. And she knew she felt the same way. Every inch of wishing he was there, every once of wondering if she would ever see him again, every single bit of longing for TJ she had felt over the past six years flowed mightily into her arms and she tightly embraced him, grinning from ear to ear. After years of dreaming about it, this was finally real; she finally had reunited with her best friend TJ.

_--_

**There you go… things are now about to get interesting. I know "The Experiment" episode recap in the story might not have been portrayed exactly the same as on TV, but hey, I tried! I also tried getting some conversation between them going in this chapter, but that won't be until the next chapter, which I have a feeling will be an exciting one… coming soon, I promise!! Until then, please review… thanks!!**


	6. Fashion Fever

Hooked On You

Hooked On You

_a Jayla Starlight FanFic_

_--_

_Chapter Six  
__Fashion Fever_

"Spinelli," TJ said fervently as placed his hands on her shoulders and examined her at arm's length. "This is incredible; you're back!"

"My thought exactly." A grin broke out onto Spinelli's face as she said this. She hasn't felt this happy in ages, or felt this weightless; she thought she'd float off of her seat in pure joy if TJ hadn't have been holding onto her shoulders.

"I can't believe it, this is so awesome!" TJ exclaimed, his voice and body quivering with excitement. "I thought you were gone forever…"

"I thought I was too…" Spinelli averted her eyes and her uplifted mood slightly sagged at that moment, for this had always been a discouraging thought for her. But as she looked back up at TJ's smiling face, elation filled her once more. "It's good to be back," she spoke, entirely truthful.

"Damn right it is!" TJ said in loud enthusiasm, making Spinelli laugh. "It's good to _have_ you back!" And with that, TJ pulled Spinelli into another full-fledged embrace.

"Oh my God," a wide eyed Ashley said, looking up from her magazine and staring over at the two hugging, not at all clued in to what was happening. "Detweiler, it's one thing to flirt with girls, but don't you think you're going a bit overboard now? You should at least, like, introduce yourself before clinging all over some random girl!"

Reluctantly letting go of Spinelli, TJ stood up straight to face Ashley A. "No need to introduce myself, Ashley. I believe Spinelli here already knows who I am." TJ tenderly put one hand back on Spinelli's shoulder.

Ashley A. dropped her magazine in alarm. Her blue eyes grew even wider than before as she made a shrill gasp, looking at Spinelli in absolute horror. "No… effing… _way._ Spinelli?!" Ashley A. looked Spinelli up and down. She sensed recognition, but wanted desperately for it not to be true. "It can't be!!"

"Of course it is!" said TJ, a little annoyed at Ashley A. "Didn't you listen to Mr. Phillips when he called out names on the attendance sheet? He said perfectly clear, _Ashley Spinelli!_"

"What…?" Ashley A. could not recall that moment.

"I bet she was too busy gawking at that stupid magazine to hear my name," Spinelli said, crossing her arms and wrinkling her nose at Ashley A. "Way to not pay attention, Powder Puff."

"Powder Puff?" Ashley's wide eyes then narrowed at Spinelli, and she crossed her arms, irritation written all over her scowling face. "Why, it _is _you, you sad excuse for an Ashley."

"You keep talking to yourself like that and people are going to think you're a freak," Spinelli shot back, feeling her happiness deflating, "oh, wait a minute, I bet they already do."

Ashley pointed to herself in disbelief. "_I'm_ the freak? Look who strolled around Third Street School wearing a hideous old orange hat and large idiotic hiking boots! As if ugliness decided to throw up on some unfortunate person! As far as I remember, that freak, was _you._ I'll admit; it's nice to see you've ditched them and all," Ashley looked Spinelli over once more, "but you could still use some work." Spinelli scowled as she looked down at her black Rock Star tee and favorite grey jeans; if Ashley A. still didn't like the way she dressed just because it wasn't girly or trendy, she could just choke on "ugliness's throw up" for all she cared.

"Don't listen to her, Spinelli," TJ had now placed both hands on the shoulders of his reunited companion, "you look great!" Realizing what he just said, TJ hesitated, and feeling his cheeks grow hot, he doubted that those were the most appropriate words to say to Spinelli. "Well, you know, you're definitely not the freak here."

Spinelli, both surprised and pleased with TJ's compliment, sniggered and said, "Thanks, Teej… you don't look so bad yourself." Looking back at Ashley A., Spinelli was about to reply to her rude comment about being a freak, when the blonde antagonist interrupted her.

"Hey Grundler! Why the hell are you sitting at your desk for? Don't you know, your old crony Spinelli is back! Why aren't you over here greeting her? God, talk about being rude!"

Gretchen, who had been listening in on the whole scene, narrowed her eyes at Ashley A. She deeply wanted to go over there and greet Spinelli just like TJ had, but Mr. Phillips left her a responsibility. He trusted her to stay in her seat, and keep order, and even though at the moment she was only doing half of what her math teacher wanted, she still felt obligated to sit. There would be time for reunions after class, right?

"_That didn't stop TJ…"_ Gretchen thought, and she suddenly felt extremely ashamed of her ignorance towards Spinelli. Gretchen couldn't hold it in any longer; she leaped up from her chair, dashed over towards Spinelli, pushed TJ out of her way and gave her old elementary school companion a fierce hug.

"Oh, Spinelli, you've returned! Do you remember me, it's Gretchen!"

Spinelli hugged her back, secretly amused at how fast Gretchen had ran to get to her after sitting there so long being the responsible one. "Yeah Gretch, I remember, and I only know it's you because of the attendance sheet!" Gretchen pulled away with an interested expression, as Spinelli continued. "God, you've changed! Looking good!"

Gretchen laughed, straightening her herself completely upright. "Thanks Spinelli! My goodness, I certainly have changed outwardly, huh? For the better too I believe; I always shudder to imagine of how I used to appear back then."

"I do too, Grundler." Ashley A. just didn't know when to butt out. "That tacky blue dress and those giant glasses… like, ew! Can you say; Nerd-Alert?"

Spinelli & TJ both glared menacingly at Ashley A., both about to speak out in Gretchen's defense, when they were beat to it by Gretchen herself.

"I wonder," she said loudly, "what makes you believe that any of us were including you in on this reunion? This is between me, TJ, and Spinelli here; you are not to be involved! Who are you to think we care about your opinion of how we used to look six years ago? You were never our friend; you never will be, so I ask you to just mind your own business! I'd rather you go back to reading that ridiculously pointless magazine, or quite possibly something more productive-" Gretchen leaned over and snatched the magazine off of Ashley A.'s desk, completing ignoring Ashley's shout of resistance, "get open your binder and look at your math course outline that Mr. Phillips handed out! Do yourself some good, look over that outline, and forget about fashion and insolence for once in your life!" And with that, Gretchen chucked the magazine far across to the other side of the classroom, and it landed on the floor with a _whap_, close to the garbage bin.

Everyone in the classroom gawked soundlessly at Gretchen, all dumbfounded at what had just happened. Nobody had expected Gretchen to deal with Ashley A. in such a forceful manner. To everyone's knowledge, she would never, ever back down whenever Ashley came to clash, but Gretchen was normally fairly even-tempered with her whenever they happened to have a dispute. Only the odd time would Gretchen ever raise her voice or be bad-tempered with Ashley. Apparently this was one of those odd times. Could it have been the arrival of Spinelli causing her to fight more fiercely, just like Spinelli did back in the day? Spinelli slowly nodded at Gretchen, her wide eyes filled with admiration. She glanced at TJ, who mouthed "Tender", and nodded as he did so.

Ashley A. eyes burned right into Gretchen's, and she pulled a grotesque scowl onto her slightly red face. "You… _bitch._" Ashley stood up abruptly and pointed jerkily towards her precious magazine, lying lamely on the blue and white tiled floor. "Go over there, and get it back for me, _now._"

"Clearly, I'm not going to, so don't even ask again," Gretchen said coldly, crossing her arms in defiance.

'I wasn't asking, Grundler," Ashley A. clenched her teeth. "_Go_… _get_… _it_."

"No. I'm in charge, in case you didn't notice, so you have to listen to me, it's not the other way around," Gretchen said, forcing herself to be calm. "Sit yourself down, shut the hell up, open your binder, and read that math outline."

"I'd listen to her if I were you," Spinelli was flexing her knuckles, in hopes to unnerve Ashley. "Remember, she's got me on her side, and I ain't some giggling, girly powder puff, as I'm sure you are already full aware of."

"In other words, she's quite capable of kicking your ass," spoke up TJ, who had been unusually quiet up to this point, since he had been half-following the scene in front of him, and half-deep in thought about none other than Spinelli. He couldn't help it; it had been six whole years since he had seen her last! He couldn't wait have a one-on-one catch-up session with her, but of course, he knew now wasn't a suitable time.

Ashley observed Spinelli through dangerously narrowed eyes, and after appearing to have contemplated for a few seconds, she said, "No way would I let you come near me in _those_ horrid jeans."

Spinelli felt her anger shoot sky high at these words. Ashley A. had just dared to insult her favorite grey jeans. "Why you little-" Spinelli jumped up, ready to take on a physical fight. If it hadn't have been for TJ rushing forwards to hold her back, she would have taken a swing at the infuriating bitch. As TJ hooked both arms around her struggling shoulders, he was strongly reminded of the old days, where Spinelli would always try and go at someone who was in anyway edging onto her bad side. Little did TJ know, Spinelli slowly became less physically-aggressive over the last six years. She no longer sought out for a fight at every little piece of back-talk she received; but only when necessary, or when something really, really rubbed her the wrong way, like Ashley A., who was currently causing fiery friction inside Spinelli.

Gretchen had enough. She wanted to end this battle with Ashley A. once and for all, and had a pretty good idea how to do it. Gretchen's eyes took one glance at Ashley's tight white sweater and smirked. Oh, how couldn't Ashley have remembered? Gretchen knew she would set Ashley back with what she was about to say.

"There's nothing wrong with Spinelli's jeans," Gretchen coolly said, placing a hand on her hip. "But, my goodness, Ashley… looks like you've gone wrong with your ensemble today!"

Ashley A. looked from the squirming Spinelli to Gretchen, alarmed. "Whoa now, like, what are you talking about? This outfit is totally flawless!"

With a self-satisfied smile, Gretchen got to the point. "No, you're wrong. You're outfit is breaking a very importing rule. Don't you know; you're not supposed to wear white after Labor Day."

Ashley A. looked completely thunderstruck. The "no white after Labor Day rule"… yes, it was a rule… and it had gone into effect two days ago. How had she, Ashley A., the fashion expert, forgotten this important rule? Utterly horrified and humiliated beyond belief, she violently unzipped her white sweater and whipped it off, revealing her pink halter top. Crossing her arms in bitter fury, she sunk low into her seat and glared straight ahead in silence.

Stillness filled the classroom. Spinelli finally stopped wriggling, and TJ gently let go of her. They both faced Gretchen, their faces filled with the same admiration as earlier when she lost her cool. Then, quite comically, the whole classroom let out a cheer and applauded for Gretchen.

"You never cease to amaze me, Gretch," TJ said, shaking his head in disbelief and wonder.

"Didn't even know that was a rule; shows what I know about dumb ol' fashion!" Spinelli grinned. "But if it shut her up and knocked her down a few notches, I'm sure as hell glad it's a rule!"

--

**Hope that was exciting for you, it was pretty fun to write. The longest chapter so far too. Anyway, will you review for me please? Thanks!**


	7. Lockers & Line Ups

Hooked On You

Hooked On You

_a Jayla Starlight FanFic_

_-- _

_Chapter Seven_

_Lockers & Line-Ups  
_

Spinelli was in a better mood than she ever could have imagined having during a math class. But of course, they weren't doing much math, were they? Also, there was no teacher for most of the class, she got to see her childhood enemy, Ashley A., be overpowered and humiliated by her old friend, Gretchen Grundler, and, the best part, TJ Detweiler was there, finally coming into verbal and physical contact with her after those several years away. Spinelli wasn't overly concerned what else came her way for the rest of the day; she figured her had reached the highest point.

Mr. Phillips had eventually returned to the class, shortly after the plummet of Ashley A. He found Gretchen and TJ standing over by Spinelli instead of sitting in their seats, and asked if everything was ok. Gretchen had replied, yes, everything was fine; she was just trying to control a restless "Theodore", who had escaped from his seat. TJ shot her a fake annoyed look, and then smiled back at Spinelli as he and Gretchen both sat down for the remaining three and a half minutes of class. During that time, the students each received a lock and combination for their own locker close by the classroom.

As the school bell rang, meaning the end of first period, the sound of scraping chairs could be heard as everyone pushed out their chairs and stood up, almost simultaneously. Ashley A. was the first to leave; cursing madly under her breath and then giving a loud irritated and flustered sigh, she grabbed her things and stomped out the door, forgetting her magazine that was still on the floor near the garbage bin. After watching Ashley leave in a self-directed temper and smirking in amusement about it all, Spinelli casually gathered her schoolbag and skateboard and casted a glace at Gretchen and TJ near the front of the room.

"Better hurry to your next class, TJ," Gretchen advised TJ after they had both collected their belongings. "You don't want to be late again, do you?" Then, not waiting for an answer, she shunted him towards the door, not forgetting to look back at Spinelli and wave. TJ made a protesting groan as he was shoved out the door, and he peered over his shoulder at Spinelli before unwillingly crossing the threshold. Spinelli had kind of hoped they would stick around with her for a few minutes, but of course, she had to think of TJ's attendance record, which so far started out on the wrong foot.

But as Spinelli exited the classroom and pulled out her school schedule to recall what class she had next, she heard her name being called and fast footsteps nearing her to her right. Spinelli recognized the voice and hastily looked up from her schedule, grinning to see that TJ had somehow escaped Gretchen and had waited for her by a set of lockers, just a few feet to the right of their math classroom.

"Hey!" greeted a smiling TJ. "Where're you off to?"

Spinelli had planned on heading straight towards her next class, which by looking over her schedule she found out it was gym, but decided to dawdle behind with TJ, and she nodded towards the lockers. "Probably gonna go put my board in my locker," she held up her skateboard to show TJ, "then try to find the gym for my next class."

"Oh sweet," TJ said, eyeing her skateboard with wide, interested eyes. "You skateboard?"

"Sure do," Spinelli nodded as they walked by the lockers, her eyes skimming the numbers of each one to find her locker, S10.

"Do you bike too?" asked TJ hopefully.

Spinelli looked at TJ with an eyebrow raised. "Course I do, Teej, don't you remember all those bike rides we had together back in the day?"

TJ, a little embarrassed of his silly question, forced a grin and gave a shaky laugh. "Oh yeah… right… I knew that. I just wasn't thinking… I remember though, don't worry." He had hoped he hadn't offended her by making her think he had forgotten any part of their childhood.

To TJ's surprise, Spinelli laughed. "I guess it's been awhile, huh," she said, understanding. Spinelli's eyes looked back to the lockers and they finally landed on locker S10. "Ah!" she said in triumph, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a silver lock she had received in math class.

"It sure has been awhile!" said TJ, his embarrassment fading. "Too long, in my opinion… it's really great to have you back, you know. I can't wait to start hanging out with you again." TJ looked intently at Spinelli, who was entering the combination into her lock, waiting for her reaction, and hoping she would feel the same way.

The lock clicked open, and Spinelli looked back up at TJ, eyes bright. TJ wanted to hang out with her again. He wanted to be her friend, just like the good ol' days. Ever since she found out she was moving back here, she had wondered whether all her old friends would want to befriend her again. Seeing them all was one thing, but being part of the gang again would mean so much more to her. A true reunion. And she couldn't wait to get started.

"Are you kidding me? I can't wait either!" Spinelli said eagerly, as she opened up her locker, placed her skateboard in it, and closed it up, attaching the lock to it and clicking it shut.

"Awesome!" TJ was clearly thrilled to hear this from Spinelli. "Shall we do lunch then? And maybe after school, we can, oh I dunno, go biking together or something-"

"Sorry Teej," Spinelli said, feeling very disappointed as she watched TJ's grin disappear, "My bike ain't in very good shape right now… the front wheel is busted… we think the movers did that when they were handling it from my old place to here, 'cause it sure as hell wasn't in that shape before they took it to the moving van in the first place!" Spinelli scowled and she felt herself fall into aggravation at the thought. She tried to shake it off though, and looked to the bright side. "But hey, at least I can do lunch."

"Oh, well that's good enough for me!" TJ's grin reappeared, and he took off his backpack, unzipped the main pocket and reached in. He extracted his infamous red cap and placed it front ways onto his head, before sliding it around 180 degrees so it was backwards.

TJ zipped up his backpack and flung it onto his back, and then a second later he put his arm around Spinelli as they headed away from the lockers. "So, I'll be seeing _you_," he pointed his index finger at Spinelli, while his thumb stood up, so that his hand resembled a gun, "in the cafeteria, 12:00!"

"Sweet deal," Spinelli nodded ardently in agreement. "I'll see ya then." She took a quick glance at her digital watch. According to her schedule, there was only about a minute left before she had to be in second period class. Where ever that was; she still had to find the gym. Spinelli felt small stab of alarm. "Whoa, better get going now though, I gotta go find the gym for my next class!"

"Oh right, classes!" TJ said, producing a phony look of shock. "I forgot we have those here at school!" As Spinelli sniggered, TJ continued, "But yes, you're right, I'd better let you go, I'd feel at fault if you were accused of being late… gym is downstairs, take the stairs beside cafeteria, the gym is right below it," he added, pointing down the hallway to their right. He had explored the school earlier and knew he had better tell her where her class was to help her out. "See ya, Spinelli! To drama class, I go!" And after a hurried wave, he turned left down the hallway, while Spinelli turned right, speeding off towards the gym.

"_Ok," _Spinelli thought to herself. _"_That_ was the highest point of my day."_

--

Before Spinelli knew it, gym class had ended and the lunchtime bell rang. She headed out of the gym, anticipation inflating her. She found the stairs she took the get to her gym class and quickly climbed them, two steps at a time. She was about to eat lunch with TJ, and maybe the rest if the old gang would join them too. Maybe she'd meet some new friends of theirs. The whole thought made her swell with excitement. Spinelli knew she was going to be able to click back into place with her old life; at least it seemed much more of a possibility now than it had ever been.

As Spinelli reached outside the cafeteria, she looked left, then right, seeing if she could spot TJ waiting for her, but then it popped into memory; he said he'd be _in_ the cafeteria, not outside it. Spinelli then walked into the cafeteria, taken aback by the large crowd of students, all either sitting and eating, in the long lunch line-up to buy food, or standing and chatting. Thoroughly scanning the large room, she sighted a red cap hurrying towards her. Grinning, TJ reached Spinelli, and gave her a quick, friendly hug.

"Spinelli! You made it! In good time too, I'm starving! Let's go get us some food," TJ stepped behind Spinelli, put his hands on her shoulders and he steered her towards the end of the lunch line-up.

"Wow, Teej," Spinelli spoke slyly as they waited in the line-up, "I don't remember you ever being so touchy-feely, you know that?"

TJ hesitated and chuckled, removing his hat and putting his hand through it, because his head had suddenly grown hotter. "Oh, well, you know… I'm not as… squeamish about handling girls as I used to be in the fourth grade. Guess that's all part of growing up, isn't it?" TJ put his hat back onto his head.

"Apparently… so now you just can't keep your hands off them, huh?" Spinelli said with a wink.

"Well, geez, Spinelli, what did you expect me to do when you came back? Not even bother to poke you with a 10 foot pole? No way, it's been too long; I'm snatching you back up before someone else sucks you into their circle of friends! In case you didn't remember, Spinelli; you were awesome!"

Spinelli gazed at TJ with eyebrows raised and a budding smile. "That's… that's awesome to hear, Teej… thanks. I know I'd rather hang out with you then with anybody else in this school," she said entirely truthfully.

Looking at her with a warm expression, TJ opened his mouth to respond when someone had shouted, "TJ!" With a small snort, he turned around to face a boy with curly black hair and dark skin, outfitted in a red and white basketball jersey. With one look, Spinelli had a feeling who this person could possibly be; Vince LaSalle. TJ confirmed her judgment for her.

"Vince, buddy!" TJ said fervently, having great difficulty holding in the good news. "Check this out-" TJ whirled around to gesture at Spinelli, "guess who's back!"

Vince surveyed Spinelli, eyebrow raised and a hand on his chin. For a moment, he stood there silent, questioning, but then as if he was struck by lightening, his eyes popped wide open and he gave a startled jolt. "Whoa, hang on! Are you serious? Is this-"

"Spinelli!!" TJ finished for him, giving Spinelli a proud thump on the back. "I know, isn't this just the most awesome thing ever?"

"Well, yeah, of course it is!" Vince stammered in amazement. "Wow, I thought you'd never come back… welcome home, Spinelli!"

"Thanks, Vince, good to see you," Spinelli said, nodding with a smile. "It's been so long; how are you?" She glanced at his jersey. "Still into b-ball, are we?"

"Heck yes!" Vince grinned, giving his beloved jersey a tug. "I'm definitely going to try out for the basketball team again this year! You in, Teej?"

"Count me in, Vince, man!" TJ gave two thumbs up and turned to Spinelli. "Are you going to try out for any school sports, Spinelli?"

"Don't know yet," Spinelli shrugged. She still liked watching and playing some sports, and she enjoyed the physical activity of skateboarding regularly, but most of her interest nowadays was dedicated to music and her guitar. Of course, TJ and Vince had no idea of this new interest of hers, since she had only been playing guitar since the seventh grade, but she wondered; what would they think of it all, Spinelli playing the guitar?

"Too bad there wasn't a kickball team, huh Spinelli!" TJ joked, nudging her playfully.

Spinelli laughed, remembering the recesses at Third Street School. "You know I'd try out for that team!" Spinelli then felt a pinch of longing to play kickball again with her old friends, and she shook her head. "Aww man…good times, good times…"

"I know, Spinelli. I know." TJ rested his hand on her shoulder, much to Spinelli's expectancy, "Third Street School was an awesome school to grow up in. Those days were legendary, loads of stuff went down… but believe me, now that you're back, the good times will start again, here in high school."

--

**Wow, so much for frequent updates. Sorry, I guess I like to take my time when I write, but I'll aim for posting the next chapter in less than a week. Hope the wait was worth it! Review? Yay!**


	8. Lunchtime Surprises

Hooked On You

**A/N: Oh yeah! An update for you in less than a week, go me. ) Hope you enjoy this chapter! **

--

Hooked On You

_a Jayla Starlight FanFic_

_-- _

_Chapter Eight_

_Lunchtime Surprises_

"TJ! Vince!" A glasses-clad boy with short blond hair and baggy camouflage pants came hurtling towards the two boys. "Have you guys seen Clark?" he asked, panting, clearly out of breath.

"Sorry man, haven't seen him since this morning before classes," Vince said, shrugging.

The blond boy screwed up his face and looked upwards. "Oh my God, where _is_ that boy? Did he get lost? He got lost, didn't he? I bet he did; he's probably wandering around on the bottom floor, thinking he's upstairs! Frig, I'm gonna beat that kid for getting lost on me like this! I better go find him, later guys!" And before TJ could stop him, the blond boy sprinted out of the cafeteria.

"What," Spinelli asked slowly, "was _that_ all about?"

TJ's mouth burst into a wide smile, and Vince guffawed. "Well, Spinelli," TJ began, with the air of about to explain something shocking, "that kid right there, get ready for this one… is Gus."

Spinelli stared at TJ for a moment, thinking she had either heard wrong, or TJ was just fooling around. But then, thinking back, there had been some of the same physical traits as the fourth grader Gus Griswald as there had been in that blond, comical boy that had been over by the three of them, desperate to find someone by the name of 'Clark'.

"You're… you're serious?" Spinelli, just like TJ and Vince, couldn't help but grin at this. She had always remembered Gus as the small, quiet new kid who was a bit of a wimp. Still, he was an ok guy, he was Spinelli's friend. But this older version of him, Spinelli couldn't help but laugh at. He appeared as a comic, talkative guy who took charge whenever necessary. A refreshing personality. The total opposite of the younger Gus.

"For serious," TJ nodded, eyes round and sparkling with amusement. "Notice a change? We sure did last year. You see," TJ grabbed three lunch trays for him and his friends, seeing as they were drawing nearer to the front of the line-up, "since Gus's family was one to move frequently, he had to leave us right in the middle of fifth grade. Hated to see him go, especially after just having to deal with you moving shortly before that…" TJ softened his voice as he spoke that last sentence. For a second he was silent, as if thinking, but then with a shake of his head, he continued with the story of Gus. "But then, at the beginning of ninth grade in middle school last year, he came back! It was great to see he did some growing up… some though, he's no wimp but he's quite silly," TJ chuckled at that.

"That's great, bet it's fun seeing Gus with a refreshing personality," Spinelli said, but then hoped TJ and Vince hadn't taken that the wrong way. "Not saying that the old Gus wasn't, well, a great guy and all, but he wasn't exactly a real party, ya know?" Not sure if her explanation helped steer her the right way, she said, "but it wouldn't have been the same gang without Gus there, huh? He had his defining moments, for sure."

TJ looked at Spinelli with pity, knowing she meant well. "Gus was the man," he said, with an obvious wink. "Well, at least he is now. He's a good guy; he's always been. I guess when you look at the old Gus, and then the new Gus, it's kind of hard to say that you don't like new Gus over the old." TJ shrugged, feeling like Spinelli; he didn't want to be bias.

"I wonder if he's found Clark yet," Vince said with a smirk. "Clark, Spinelli, is Gus's best friend. Clark became our friend in the eighth grade when he was in mine and TJ's homeroom, and when he and Gus met last year, they really got along well. You hardly ever see one without the other."

"No wonder he freaked; poor Gus is lost without Clark." TJ shook his head in amusement as the cafeteria worker served the three of them a small serving of Caesar salad alongside a big helping of mac and cheese. "Then again, he likes to make a big deal about everything, just to be silly."

"So in other words, Gus is still not quite independent?" Spinelli smiled as her chose a bottle of fruit punch and set it on her tray.

"Not quite," Vince said as he chose a water bottle.

TJ picked up a large chocolate milk and set it onto his tray, and they headed towards to the cashier to pay. Spinelli pulled out a five dollar bill when TJ flung out his arm to stop her.

"Oh no, Spinelli, I got this, I invited you to lunch, remember?" He reached deep into his pocket and counted out the correct change.

"TJ, you don't have to pay for me, you know," Spinelli said firmly, but hesitated to hand the cashier her money.

"Look, just call it a "welcome home Spinelli" gift from me to you. I insist!" TJ said determinedly as Spinelli began to shake her head. For a moment, Spinelli contemplated.

"Oh alright," Spinelli said resignedly, "but just this once!"

"Great!" TJ grinned and handed his money to the cashier, enough to pay for both his and Spinelli's lunches. TJ saw Vince out of the corner of his eye, looking hopeful. "I'm not paying for yours, Vince, man, so cough up your own dough."

"Ahh, come on, Teej," Vince tried to persuade him, but ended up paying for himself, knowing TJ wasn't going to give in.

As the three of them walked away from the line up, carrying their trays supporting their lunch, they all skimmed the cafeteria for a place to sit and eat. Spinelli was doing more thinking than skimming; that was quite a nice gesture of TJ's, paying for her lunch and all. He had been nothing but nice to her all day, but then again, what else did Spinelli expect of TJ? She knew that at some point today, she'd have to thank him for his kindness and consideration.

"Hey, there's Gretch!" Vince pointed out across the vast room. Sitting at a table all by herself, eating what looked like a BLT sandwich she brought from home in one hand and reading a thick paperback novel in the other, was indeed Gretchen.

"She's alone; that's unusual!" TJ said, his eyebrows raised quizzically. "If she isn't with us, she's usually surrounded by others. People really like Gretchen, you know. Why wouldn't they? She's nice, helpful, and definitely not an eye-sore either."

"Ashley A. didn't seem to like her none too much…" Spinelli said darkly, as they all started to make their way towards Gretchen.

"Jealous, I suspect. What a bitch," TJ muttered dangerously, as Vince nodded vigorously and Spinelli made a retching noise. To think Spinelli would have to deal with that obnoxious brat every day in math class was loathsome. But at least she had TJ and Gretchen in there with her, which was an enormous bonus.

"Hey Gretch! What's goin' on?" TJ said as they sat down with Gretchen, him and Vince across the table and Spinelli sat beside her.

Gretchen peered over her half-finished novel and looked happily upon her best friends. "The consumption words and food, that's basically it." She took one of the last remaining two bites left of her BLT sandwich. "So," she said, mouth full of bread, lettuce, and a small piece of bacon, "where's Gus and Clark?"

"Gus is out looking for Clark, I'm thinking." TJ took a swig of chocolate milk, swallowed, and continued, "It seems like he's been looking for awhile; I wonder if he found him yet."

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be coming around eventually," Gretchen said confidently, putting away her book into her knapsack that lay between her seat and Spinelli's.

Spinelli, who was stabbing at her mac and cheese as she ate, looked up at the now short lunch line up, to see Gus standing there, talking animatedly to a short, but muscular, dark-haired boy wearing a grey hoodie with the sleeves rolled up, who was smirking while he listened to Gus.

"Oi, there's Gus!" Spinelli pointed with her fork, macaroni stabbed on its prongs. "And that guy with him, is that-"

TJ and Vince had whirled around to take a look at where Spinelli was aiming her fork. After a moment, TJ looked back over at Spinelli. "Clark? Yeah, it is." He grinned. "Reunited at last!"

The group of them laughed. Spinelli popped her fork into her mouth and ate the cluster of cheesy noodles. She watched the two boys, a thought coming to her mind.

"So, why are they so close anyway? Got a lot in common or something?"

"Well, it's like me and TJ," Vince nodded at TJ. "We're both into sports, so we find lots to talk about, and we play sports all the time, don't we Teej?"

"Sure do!" TJ nodded, finishing up his salad. "But Gus and Clark's interests both lie in music, seeing as they're guitar players."

Spinelli felt something in her stomach area leap. Fellow guitarists, in her group of friends! Her first instinct was to jump up out of her seat, dash over and interrogate them with questions.

How much did they know? How good were they? What kind of guitars did they have? Who'd they listen to? Then she remembered, how had she forgotten; back in the Third Street School days, Gus had sometimes spent his recesses playing the acoustic guitar, and a certain kindergartener would sit and listen to him, loving every moment. It was hard to believe that back then, Spinelli had hardly paid any mind to Gus's playing. But it wasn't until a few years later that she got into guitar herself.

"_Wow,_" Spinelli thought, staring over at the present-day Gus. _"If he's played the guitar since the fourth grade, and has kept up with it, imagine how good he is now… he must be a pro!" _Finishing her current mouthful of mac and cheese, she spoke up; letting on it was only casual news.

"Guitar players, huh? That's pretty sweet, are you guys interested in music?"

"I enjoy listening to it," said Gretchen, eating some crackers and cheese after having finished her BLT sandwich. "But I never got into learning an instrument."

"Same goes here," said Vince, after taking a deep drink of water, "I dedicate my time and life to sports."

"I actually tried picking up guitar in the sixth grade…" TJ began, and Spinelli's eyes lit up, "but then, I kind of gave it up... I don't even remember why," TJ shrugged, and Spinelli felt a little disappointed that he didn't keep going at it. "What about you Spinelli? Ever thought of learning an instrument? Or did you just stick your interests with skateboarding, and possibly wrestling?" TJ winked.

"Oh yeah, I gave it a thought or two," Spinelli said, thinking this was about a good of time as any to tell them this surprising news about herself. "Actually, I-"

"Hey! Make room for my fanny!" Gus and Clark came back from the lunch line, clutching their trays, and Gus had clearly announced his presence, especially when he grabbed a chair and squeezed it between TJ and Vince, plopped down into it and almost dropped his tray before he set it onto the table.

Clark, deciding not to cause a scene, grabbed a seat at the end of the table, near Gretchen. "Hey gang," Clark greeted, immediately digging into his Caesar salad.

"Clark! I see Gus found you," TJ smirked, finishing up his lunch, just as Gus and Clark began to eat theirs.

"Yeah," Clark said, smirking at Gus, who was having a hard time opening up a packet of ketchup for his mac and cheese, "My science teacher kept us an extra five minutes, passing out our new textbooks, 'cause he didn't bother to earlier in the class, lazy I assume, and then I had a hard time finding the cafeteria, until Gus came to my aid, lucky me. Do you need help with ketchup packet Gus?" said Clark, who couldn't stand Gus's useless efforts any longer.

"If you don't mind," Gus said, passing the packet off to Clark, who opened it the second it touched his hand. Gus took it back from him, mouth opened in awe.

"So, who's this?" Clark asked, sticking his index finger at Spinelli as he grasped a bottle of orange juice with his other three fingers and thumb.

TJ realized he hadn't introduce Spinelli to Clark or reunited her with Gus properly, so he said in an excited tone, "Hey, Gus! Gus, are you listening?" Gus looked up with his fork in his mouth, no hands. "See this girl right here?" TJ gestured in front of him towards Spinelli. Gus nodded slowly. "Recognize her?" When Gus didn't reply after three seconds, TJ burst out, "It's Spinelli!!"

Gus spit his fork out of his mouth, hitting Gretchen in the chin. "Say what?! Spinelli? Is that you??" Gus leaned forward to get closer look at Spinelli and his bulging eyes searched her face wildly.

Spinelli cringed, wondering whether it was safe to answer Gus's query. By the fanatic look on his face, exactly how big of a deal would he make of this confirmation?

"Yeah, it's me," Spinelli finally told Gus, bracing herself.

For a moment Gus looked like he was about to dive across the table and tackle-hug her, but much to Spinelli's relief, he didn't. What he did do though, was pump his fists up into the air and holler, "YEAH! Aww man, we all missed you Spinelli, but now you're back! KICK ASS!"

"Spinelli?" Clark inquired, raising an eyebrow. "As in the infamous Spinelli who went to your guys' elementary school?"

"Sure is!" TJ said brightly, as Gretchen and Vince chorused, "yeah!"

"Oh sweet! These guys have told me so much about you," Clark told Spinelli, "I'm Clark. Clark McClafferty."

"Hey, nice to meet ya, Clark. I've heard a little about you too," Spinelli said with a smirk. Spinelli had a feeling Clark was someone she could get used to hanging around; a guitar player, and a friendly one to boot.

Spinelli knew that as she finished eating and talked with her old friends, plus a new friend, she was in great company, and she couldn't ask for any greater. Or could she? A startling thought occurred to Spinelli towards the end of the lunch period; she was with TJ, Gretchen, Vince, and Gus, every member of their old gang, except one. Mikey. Where was he? She knew that he went to this school, for she had talked to him earlier that day outside in the school's courtyard. So why wasn't he sitting with them?

Just as Spinelli had thought this, she saw the back of a skinny, blond-headed boy with wavy hair down to his shoulders, and he was leaving the cafeteria, alone. She knew that had to be Mikey. She felt like calling out to him, and inviting him to come sit with them for the remainder of lunch, but he was already pretty much gone.

"Hey guys!" Spinelli looked around at each of her friends at the table. "I just saw our friend Mikey leave, why didn't he come sit with us?"

TJ bowed his head, avoiding her gaze. Gretchen bit her lip in silence, Clark shifted his eyes, and Gus made a rather repulsed face, and mouthed "Mikey, our friend?" as if he could not comprehend how she could have used those three words in the same sentence. Vince shook his head, and said to Spinelli without any remorse, "Mikey didn't come sit with us 'cause he's no longer our friend."

--

**Please review and tell me your thoughts. Thanks to all who have read and reviewed, you guys are awesome!! D **

**Chapter nine, coming up soon! **


	9. Unwanted Advice

Hooked On You

**A/N: This will most likely be the last update before I go away on the 26****th**** to California for twelve days. Don't expect another update until after August 6****th****. **

**Disclaimer: I own the character, Clark McClafferty. Isn't that grand?**

--

Hooked On You

_a Jayla Starlight FanFic_

_-- _

_Chapter Nine_

_Unwanted Advice_

Spinelli couldn't grasp the concept of Mikey no longer being part of the old gang. TJ, Gretchen, Vince, and Gus had all pretty much stuck together as friends, but why hadn't Mikey? He was always a kind-hearted, gentle, and thoughtful friend of theirs. He may have been sometimes hard to understand in his sensitive and poetic language and habits, but he had never meant to cause any problems. So what on earth could have happened for Mikey to somehow be removed from the group? Was it his own free choice, or was it some sort of serious incident that occurred? Before Spinelli could ask any questions about it though, the end-of-lunch bell rang.

"Damn it!" Gus said, "I didn't get to finish all my lunch! Clark, thanks for getting lost on me, now I can't finish this!" Gus gestured at his half eaten meal, his brow furrowed.

"Ahh, suck it up, and get yourself a doggy bag for it if you're that distraught over it," Clark said, standing up with his tray, having eaten the majority of his food. "Come on, man, we'll find one." And with a jerk of the head to signal Gus to follow him, the two guys headed off toward the tray rack.

"We'd all better get going," Gretchen said, putting on her knapsack and looking at the large clock on the wall, "we only have five minutes to get to our next class!" And without waiting to see if the rest of them took her advice, Gretchen sped off towards the cafeteria's exit.

"Is Gretch always in such a hurry?" Spinelli asked, as she slung her book bag onto her shoulder and picked up her tray.

"I'm thinking it's the new idea of high school getting to her," TJ said, leading Spinelli and Vince to the tray rack. "We were in middle school last year, and we were there for three years, knowing it inside and out. Seeing as we've just began our first day of high school, none of us really know where our classes are yet, we gotta search for them. And Gretchen's not hesitating to find all of hers on time."

"But you know, I think the teachers are being easy on us when it comes to being late," Vince placed his tray on the rack, as did TJ and Spinelli, and continued, "because I was ten minutes late for history class second period, but my teacher just shrugged and assigned me a seat. I think it's only because it's the first day; they'll be tougher on us tomorrow, you wait and see."

"Oh, probably," Spinelli chuckled, "Hear that TJ? Can't go sneaking around the school anymore, delaying yourself from getting to class!" She nudged him teasingly.

"No guarantees," TJ shook his head with a smirk. He couldn't help but think to himself, even though it had nothing to do with the topic of discussion; Spinelli seemed to feel so comfortable around him, as he did around her. It was almost like she never left, and that they were still the best friends that they were six years ago. He wondered; would they be able to become best friends once more, in high school? It seemed like it would not be a hard task to get them both back together in that way, and to go about doing that, he decided he have to would go further than just inviting her to lunch. An after school activity, he thought. That would give them time to hang out and catch up with each other, after being apart for six long years. A one-on-one catch up session, he called it, nobody else in the group would be there. Just the two of them. Of course, he had tried asking her earlier to go biking with him, but that didn't work out. He couldn't skateboard very well, so that wasn't really an option. What else could they do? Where else could they go?

"_Third Street School," _a voice in TJ's head spoke in Spinelli's voice. Of course, why hadn't he thought of it earlier by the lockers? That would be a perfect place to hang out with her; the playground, their old stomping grounds, like kids again.

"Come on, Teej," Vince's voice broke through TJ's thoughts, startling him. The three were standing by the stairs leading downstairs to the gym. "We both got gym class next, and it's just down here isn't it? If it is, we definitely won't be late if we go now!"

"Oh! Uh, yeah, man, it is." TJ looked at Spinelli with a frown and frantic eyes; he didn't want to leave her just yet, without asking her to hang with him later, just in case he didn't see her again for the rest of the day. "But you go on ahead. I got some, uh, business to take care of!"

Vince did not implore the 'business' TJ was referring to. He simply shrugged and said, "Sure thing man, see you down there! Later, Spinelli!" Vince then scurried down the steps and out of sight.

"I guess I better go find my English class now, and let you go off and do your 'business'," Spinelli said, and slowly and reluctantly turned to leave TJ. "Well, I'll see you-"

"Wait, Spinelli!" TJ called out, reaching for her. Spinelli whipped back around so quickly, she almost lost her balance. "This 'business' of mine, is that I've been meaning to ask you…do you want to hang out with me later? I know we can't go biking, but you do wanna do something else?"

Spinelli grinned; it seemed so important to TJ that they start hanging out again, and Spinelli couldn't agree more. "What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking; why not bring back some good ol' memories by hanging out on the playground at Third Street School? It'd be the perfect place to reminisce and catch up, wouldn't you say?"

"Are you kidding me?" Spinelli asked, thrilled. "It'd be awesome to revisit that place with you!" Deciding to obtain some dignity, she then said, "I'll have to go right home after school, since that's what my parents are expecting, but why not meet there after dinner time?" Through she tried, Spinelli found it hard to keep the excitement out of her voice.

"Say, around 6:30, you mean?" TJ stomach leaped as Spinelli nodded with enthusiasm. "Tender! Don't forget then- better let you go, don't want to keep you late from class again!"

"Alright, see you later Teej, and don't worry; it'd be impossible to forget." And with a bright and friendly smile, Spinelli waved at TJ, who too said, "see you later!", and she turned and walked away, more ecstatic than she had been all day.

TJ watched her pace down the entire hallway, her long black hair dancing behind her. It wasn't until she turned a corner and became out of sight when TJ decided it was time to head down the stairs to join Vince in gym class.

--

Since it was the first day of gym class, the gym teacher, Mr. Davis, just talked to the class about what they would be covering throughout the semester, and laid down some ground rules. Then he sent everyone off to do their own thing, as long as it included being in the gymnasium and participating in an activity that would be appropriate for a gym setting.

TJ and Vince went into the wide storage room with some of their fellow classmates. Inside were many racks containing soccer balls, basketballs, tennis balls and rackets, baseballs and bats, and much more. Lying near the wall were soccer nets and hockey sticks, plus a mish-mash of balls that people didn't bother putting back on the racks when they had finished using them.

"Isn't it cool about Spinelli?" Vince asked, grabbing a basketball. "Her being back? Thought we'd never see her again!"

"Oh I know, man," said TJ, picking up a basketball for himself and following Vince back into the gym to shoot some hoops. "She's in my math class, you know. That's how I discovered she was back."

"That's awesome," Vince said as he aimed his ball for a shot into the net. "You know what this means, right?"

"What's that, Vince?" TJ asked as he eyed Vince getting ready to release the ball.

"It'll be like old times again!" Vince's ball shot up and into the high basketball net with a _swish_. "Well, of course, without Mikey, but we have Spinelli back now, that's all we need! You, me, Gretchen, Gus, Clark, and Spinelli… man, you know what we should have done, we should have all gotten together with Spinelli somewhere to chill afterschool!" Vince picked up his ball and dribbled it.

"Oh, well…" TJ hesitated, wondering whether or not to tell Vince he had invited Spinelli to hang with him, just him, later at Third Street School. Holding onto his ball, TJ decided that Vince would find out anyway, so he confided in him.

"I asked Spinelli to hang out with me tonight," TJ mentioned, as casual as he could. Vince, who was aiming another shot at the net, fumbled the ball and cast TJ a look of amazement.

"You did? Is that the 'business' you had to take care of?"

TJ nodded, wondering what was going through Vince's mind.

For a moment, Vince held onto his ball and didn't speak. Then a sly smile spread onto his face. "No way man… you didn't. You can't."

"Can't I what?" TJ asked, thoroughly confused. Why couldn't he hang out with his long lost friend?

"When you say, 'asked her to hang with you', did you… did you ask her out man?" Vince asked, his eyes wide with shock, almost amusement.

TJ's jaw dropped. "No, I did not! I just asked her to hang out with me, to catch up, you know?" There was desperation in TJ's voice; he didn't need Vince to be on his case about it all. TJ spoke the truth; it was purely all for friendship-based reasons that he wanted her to hang out with him again.

"Oh, I see… so you wouldn't mind if I joined you guys tonight, would you?" Vince said, testing TJ.

"I think I would mind, actually," TJ said, determined not to let Vince in on their meeting. It may not have been a date that TJ and Spinelli were going on, but TJ still wanted to be alone with her, to regain their best friend status again, that was it.

Vince shot the ball again, thinking. The he turned to TJ again. "So, it's just gonna be the two of you, huh? As friends?"

"Yes," TJ justified, staring Vince down. Why was there a smidge of irritation in Vince's voice?

"Ok," Vince finally accepted it after another moment of silence. He wasn't sure whether or not to believe TJ's motives for wanting to hang with Spinelli one-on-one, but he did not want to push TJ too much farther, in case he got angry at him. But he had one other thing to say. "That's cool that you're wanna catch up with Spinelli again, be friends and all, but you know man… I don't think she'd be very, um, dateable."

TJ, who had been clinging onto his basketball the whole time, had the sudden urge to start dribbling it forcefully. And he did so as he asked, "Whatcha talkin' bout, Vince? What would be wrong with dating her? Not that I had that in mind," TJ added hastily. It's true that he hadn't at first, but the idea, well, it wasn't the worst one he had ever heard of_. "Don't get ahead of yourself, TJ, man,"_ he reminded himself mentally. _"One step at a time. Friendship's what I'm aiming for now."_

"What I'm talking about it," Vince began, "is that, well, don't you think she'd be a bit hard to date? Think about it!" Vince said urgently when he saw TJ open his mouth to make a possible outburst of objection, "She struck fear into the hearts of many kids back at Third Street School, most deserving of it, of course. She could fight, she could be rough, and she could be dominating. What if she's the same way when you're dating? Even if she's not, it'd be just weird, seeing you two closer than the rest of the group. And what will happen if you break up? It'll be hell then, knowing Spinelli, she won't let it go peacefully. You won't be able to be in the same vicinity as each other, and if you ever get in her way, she'll treat you just like the ones she disliked back then. Is that what you want?"

"Did I say that's what I wanted?" TJ asked irritably. "No. I just wanna be friends." TJ glared at Vince. How could he talk about Spinelli that way? He didn't even really know the older Spinelli, how could he judge? Besides, TJ knew Spinelli had her softer side, as well as her tough side, that's what he enjoyed about her. TJ knew his intention was not to start dating Spinelli that evening. He wanted to find out about her again, how she changed, how she hadn't, to catch up, hear what she had gone through the last six years. In short, he wanted to become best friends again.

But what if it became something more?

--

**Well, there was supposed to be more, but I ran out of time because I have a big trip tomorrow. Sorry if it was a rushed job. I feel like it was, but hey, what did you think? It's all about what you guys think. I could rewrite the chapter if you like. Might do that anyway, and add the extra bit I wanted to add instead of moving into a whole new chapter, which was supposed to be dedicated solely to TJ and Spinelli's catch up session on the playground. And also, what happened to Mikey will be part of it! So we'll see what happens. Thank to all my readers, I'll post again after my trip!**


	10. Afternoon Classes

Hooked On You

**A/N: Hello, my wonderful, faithful readers!! I'm back again, after such a long absence, with another update! I'd like to thank everyone for their patience; I know it's been awhile, but that was because I was on vacation last week, and then it takes me a few days to write another chapter that I'm satisfied with. Hope you enjoy this! The last few days I've been getting many inspirations when it comes to adding on to this story. Yeah!!**

Hooked On You

_a Jayla Starlight FanFic_

_-- _

_Chapter Ten_

_Afternoon Classes_

Spinelli was more than happy to get out of English class that day. It had certainly deflated her ecstatic mood that she had when TJ asked her to hang out later. Along with math, she had never liked English as a subject that much. Could it have been because of her lack of desire to pick up a book and read it, or her dislike of writing long, pointless essays about boring topics the teachers made her write about? It easily was both reasons.

Even though this was the first day and she didn't have to do either yet, she realized fast that she wasn't going to enjoy this year's English class. Her teacher, Ms. MacLeod, seemed like she had a friendly and funny side, but Spinelli could tell she could be a bit strict and harsh when she wanted to be, especially when Ms. MacLeod made a couple loud outbursts and scoldings to two students sitting in the back, whose chatting was carrying over her lecture about how a standard grade 10 English class would be like.

Spinelli didn't like what she heard in the lecture. A major in-class novel study, a major independent novel project, a Shakespeare play study and at least three essays to be written were part of what they would be covering that semester. The amount of homework they'd be getting; Spinelli did not want to think about it.

She also discovered two students in her English class were ex-Third Street School students, but not the two she would have wanted to be. Her insides burned with loathing as Ms. MacLeod called out the name "Ashley Quinlan". Another Ashley to deal with? Spinelli rolled her eyes to the ceiling. She didn't even want to bother to look to see where Ashley Q. sat in the classroom.

Another name Ms. MacLeod called out made Spinelli want to throw her binder at the wall: "Randall Weems". That annoying pest, that infuriating snitch, that total loser that she had longed to beat up ever since elementary school was now in her grade 10 English class. This time she looked for this student, wondering if he had grown up any since the fourth grade. And there he was, sitting two rows behind her; hunched, with the same curly red hair and sneaky expression etched into his eyes, sneer and brow. He hadn't changed much at all. The sight of him strongly made Spinelli want extend her arm as far as she could and punch that ugly sneaky face.

Ms. MacLeod excused them five minutes early from class, much to Spinelli's relief. Now she could get out of that hated classroom and head to the one class she had been looking forward to all day; guitar class. But a little something stopped her as she tried to make her way out the door with her belongings; a little something in the shape of Randall Weems.

"Well, well, well..." Randall said slowly with an air of snugness. "Look who came back. Ashley Spinelli. Bet you don't remember who I am."

"Unfortunately I do, _Randall_," Spinelli said his name with a mock whine, cruely imitating his tattling voice.

"So where have you been all this time? It wasn't very cool of you, you know, leaving all your friends behind like that," Randall said, hoping to fire Spinelli up. "They were pretty torn up, they felt kinda betrayed..."

"Liar," Spinelli barked. "They knew why I had to go, I had no choice. It's none of your business, you rat." She did not want to think about how her friends felt after she left, it was too hard on her.

"Sure, sure," Randall grinned, horribly. "Gus moved later too, out of grief I assume, Mikey went all backwards for a bit and then he left the group and TJ... right depressed, he was, for awhile there I thought he'd never be able to be happy again-"

"SHUT….UP!" Spinelli bellowed. It was bad enough she had to move and leave them all behind, but hearing all this from Randall was a burn in her ears and heart. She knew Gus had moved for other reasons, he too had no choice, but what if it was true about Mikey? Was it her fault he was no longer part of the group? Without her there, did he really go all backwards and eventually leave the group? She couldn't bear to hear it. And she could imagine TJ must have been sad about her departure. But hearing from Randall how he was depressed and deprived from happiness tore at her. She never wanted this for him. He was her best friend.

_"But I'm back now," _she silently reminded herself. _"I'm back, and now no one has to be sad."_

"Randall." A stern, but girly voice came from behind Spinelli. She whirled around to see who was speaking. There stood a slim and small girl, wearing tight jeans and a fiery red low-cut top. Her chin-length dark red hair framed her face elegantly, and her lovely brown eyes were glaring in Randall's direction. "Move on." She said quietly, but dangerously.

"Sorry Ashley Q.," Randall said, not seeming to be sorry at all, and Spinelli scowled at the Ashley, her face burning. "But don't you know who this is? It's Spinelli! Remember? You hated her!"

"I remember. But it's no use bothering people who have gone their separate way." Ashley Q. said. She pursed her lips, which shimmered with gloss.

"I didn't go my separate way," Spinelli spat at Ashley Q, who didn't flinch. "I only moved 'cause I had to. It's not like I had a choice. I was always faithful to my elementary school friends, I didn't forget about them after I left. And I'm back now, and friends with them again, so stop speaking in present terms, Powder Puff. I don't need _you_ to stick up for _me_. I can handle Randall, you know!" She raised her voice exceedingly at the last sentence.

For a moment, Ashley Q. didn't speak. Then she sighed. "I know. ...Welcome back." At this surprising finish, Ashley Q. hurried past them and out of the classroom, not daring to look back.

"That," Spinelli said, "was messed up. Get out of my way, Weems." And resisting the urge to knock him down, she dodged him and strode away from him and out the door, but not before managing to hear Randall loudly announce to the few people dawdling behind in the classroom to call her "Ashley S."

--

Spinelli made it to the third floor, where her guitar class was to be taught. As soon as she stepped foot into the classroom and saw the teacher at the front, Mr. Graham, playing his guitar, she felt immensely better. "Now _this_ is gonna be an awesome class," Spinelli thought happily as she searched for an empty chair to sit in; there were no desks, as they were unnecessary when it came to playing guitar. "I don't care if all the Ashleys, plus Randall, are in this class; as long as I can play my baby-" the image of her and her guitar flashed in Spinelli's mind," –nothing could upset me." Before Spinelli could take an empty seat on the side closest to the door, an excited voice called her name at the back by the window. She noticed an arm waving vigorously at her and looked at the owner's face; Spinelli laughed out loud.

"Oh my God! Spinelli! Sit with me!" Gus Griswald was wide-eyed with eagerness, and if Spinelli had chosen to sit somewhere else, his expression looked as if he'd break down and cry. Spinelli couldn't help but grin at his silliness, and made her way over to the back of the room and into an empty chair on Gus's right, making him grin widely. "This is awesome, we have a class together! But hey, doesn't this mean…" Gus's jaw dropped. "You play guitar?"

"Yeah, I do," Spinelli said proudly, as Gus gasped, "ever since grade seven."

"That is awesome!" Gus declared, holding his hand up for a high five. Spinelli return it with a smirk. "So, what kind of guitar do you have?"

"It's a JT-300 Classic Double Cutaway, Sunburst-colored," Spinelli said dreamily. "What about you?"

"Got two," Gus held up two fingers. "My old acoustic from elementary school, still have it after all this time, and a Les Paul, Black Beauty, 1969!" He added on the year with a goofy smile.

"You have a Les Paul?" asked Spinelli with a longing expression on her face. "Damn… always wanted one of those."

"You should get one," Gus advised her, seriously. "Not that a JT isn't a good guitar, but you know, nothing beats a Les Paul. Clark has a Les Paul too- CLARK!!"

Spinelli jumped in her seat at this sudden outburst; but it was because Clark McClafferty had entered the classroom, looking back at her and Gus, beaming. Squeezing past some people in chairs with many "excuse me" 's, he made it to the back row, taking the seat on Gus's left. "Yo Gus, how's it goin', man?" As Gus replied, "awesome!" Clark looked across at Spinelli and gave her a smile and a nod of acknowledgement. "Spinelli, hey." Looking at Clark up close, it wasn't until now that Spinelli noticed Clark's unique eyes; a startling golden yellow.

"Hey Clark," Spinelli gave him a friendly smile. If he was going to be part of her circle of friends, she might as well start out on the right foot!

"We were just talking about our guitars," Gus informed Clark, "Spinelli's got a JT Double Cutaway. I told her she should get a Les Paul. Don't you agree?"

"That'd be some sweet, Spinelli," Clark replied, nodding his approval. "But the guitar you have sounds just fine. As long as it's not an Explorer, I don't much like those. I have a 1985 Les Paul Custom, Ferrari Red. Brand new, for this school year." His face seemed to glow with contentment.

As Spinelli nodded in admiration, Gus spoke up, "We won't supposed to bring our guitars today, were we?"

"Nah," said Clark. "Said right on the schedule, guitars weren't necessary until the second day of school. Then we gotta remember to bring it everyday. Marks off if we forget them."

"Like I could ever forget _my baby_," Spinelli accidently said aloud. Clark and Gus looked at her, and she felt herself flush. It might have been funny to some people how she referred to her guitar by that name, and treated it better than she treated most people, but to these two fellow guitar players, they only smiled knowingly.

--

Guitar class had ended later that day, which meant two things; the first day of school was over, and the time was drawing nearing to when Spinelli and TJ were to meet at Third Street School. When the bell sounded, everyone stood up. Many people let out cheers, and Gus and Clark high fived each other. Grinning herself, Spinelli hurriedly slung her bag over her shoulder, said "see you guys later," to Gus and Clark, and left the room in a rapid pace.

She traveled down the stairs to the second floor, jumping the last three steps and hitting the ground with a thud of her shoes. She then sped off down the hallway, almost passing her math classroom, and skidded to a halt. She slid past a couple girls talking to get to her locker, entered in the combination, and swung it open. Grabbing her skateboard and shutting her locker, she hurried down the hallway, down another flight of steps, and was on the first floor, in the main lobby. Not caring what teacher or staff member saw her, she hopped onto her board and rolled out of the open front doors of the school, gaining speed and heading towards home.

Spinelli wasn't quite sure what was causing her desire to hurry out of school. Maybe it was because it was time to go to another.

Third Street School, Spinelli's back!

--

**Yay, another chapter done for you! I was originally planning on this chapter mostly being about Spinelli and TJ's meeting at Third Street School, but as you can see, I came up with more story ideas to add. I promise though; next chapter **_**will**_** be their meeting!! It'll be cool stuff. Also, the exact reason will be revealed why Mikey is no longer their friend in the next chapter, or possibly the one after that. It'll be one or the other though, not a chapter later. Hope you're still enjoying this, Spinelli and TJ are one step closer to being together!! Keep on reading and reviewing, please and thank you!!**


	11. Less Than Confident

Hooked On You

**A/N: Ok, well, I know it's been awhile. But I had such writer's block, you wouldn't believe. Plus not receiving a review in a while wasn't that motivating, but thanks to those who did review!! Now that I'm passed all that, here is a new chapter, and I'm sorry. I hope to post up a new chapter very soon.**

**And so it begins: the meeting between TJ and Spinelli. Excited? I'm hoping so! This will be probably a couple chapters long, and it's TJ and Spinelli all by themselves, so you know it should be good. I'm excited to write this, I hope you all enjoy it!! But before we get to the meeting, why not take a look at Spinelli with her family…**

Hooked On You

_a Jayla Starlight FanFic_

_-- _

_Chapter Eleven_

_Less Than Confident_

"So, how was your first day of high school, Pookie?"

Spinelli wrinkled her nose, more out of amusement than annoyance, as she sometimes did whenever her mother called her by an embarrassing name. The Spinelli family was sitting around the dinner table, their plates piled with roast beef, mashed potatoes, and veggies.

"Eventful," Spinelli answered truthfully through a mouthful of beef. She chewed, and then swallowed, before continuing. "Saw a bunch of people I knew from Third Street School. All my old friends!" She brightened at the thought.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" said Spinelli's mother, Flo.

"All of them, huh?" questioned Spinelli's father, Bob, with a smirk. "So that would be Vince, Gretchen, Gus, Mikey… and of course, TJ?"

"Yup, I saw them all."

"Well, isn't that something!" Bob chuckled merrily. "Did they change any?" he asked, before stuffing his face with roast beef.

"TJ and Vince seemed similar to what they were like back in the day, of course they grew up, though, but you know what I mean, I'm sure," Spinelli looked at her father, who nodded, cheeks puffed out with food. "But Gretchen, Gus, and Mikey were unrecognizable. Seriously." Spinelli took a drink of water before continuing. "Gretchen's really nice looking now, and actually isn't in any advanced classes!"

Bob's eyes widened, and Flo said, "With a mind as brilliant as hers?"

"I know, weird, huh? Don't know the reason behind that yet… and Gus, he sort of looks the same, but man, is he funny! He used to be the wimp, you know. Just followed us around mostly, didn't always have a lot to say, he certainly wasn't funny back then. But now…he's really come out of his shell. He's in my guitar class too, and that's pretty awesome that we have that in common."

"Very nice!" Flo commented, as Bob finally swallowed his chewed-up hunk of beef.

"What about Mikey?" Bob asked.

Spinelli hesitated to tell them about Mikey. What would they think if he was no longer their friend? They would ask why, she knew it, but she would have no answers for them. Well, except maybe that it might have been her fault, and that he went weird when she moved. But she didn't want to say that to her parents, or to herself for that matter. "Well, he's actually skinny now! Don't know how he did it, but he lost so much weight. Grew his hair right long too. But he's still the same ol' Mikey deep down." Spinelli added fondly.

"Oh, I'm so happy to hear about all your old friends, it must be great to be reunited with them all!" Flo said with a smile.

"You bet it is," Spinelli said, brandishing her fork.

"Make any new friends?" asked Bob, who was pouring more gravy onto his mashed potatoes.

"Oh, yeah," Spinelli said, realizing that was a pretty good accomplishment. "His name is Clark, he's part of the group now. Gus's best friend, it seems," Spinelli said with a grin.

Bob chuckled, and Flo smirked, looking her daughter straight in the eye. "So…" Flo said, expectantly.

"So… what?" Spinelli cringed, half-wondering why her mother was looking at her so intently.

"Is this Clark boy cute?"

"Arggh!" Spinelli threw down her fork onto her plate and glared at Flo. She hated when her mother did this; Flo wanted Spinelli to have a boyfriend so badly - for some stupid, feminine reason Spinelli assumed – so Flo always questioned her whenever a new guy's name would pop up in conversation. Or whenever Spinelli would hang out with a guy back in her old town, Flo would try earnestly to convince her to "see how good looking he is" or "try and get to know him more"; in other words, go on a date. Spinelli would never hear her mother out.

"Mom, don't start this. Clark is my friend, at least I think he is, I still don't know the guy very well, all I know is that he's into guitar and Gus! …I didn't mean into him in _that_ way!" when Spinelli saw both her parents' eyes widen. "Though there'd be nothing wrong with that, but that's beside the point- I meant, they're best friends! I'm not going to go out with him, so get that thought out of your head, right now!"

"Ashley, sweetie, I wasn't going to ask that of you!" said Flo, sounding offended. "I was just wondering if he was cute; you don't have to go out with someone just because you think they're nice-looking. So, what do you think? Is he?"

Spinelli sat fuming, not even bothering to contemplate the question. Just to make her mother stop inquiring, she said, "He's ok, I guess. Not ugly. Freakish eyes though, they're yellow. Now can we drop this?" She added irritably.

Flo seemed to have sensed her daughter's annoyance, so she sighed and said, "Well, alright then." It was clear that Flo was disappointed. "But why not try and get to know him better? I don't mean get a date!" she added when Spinelli scowled with revulsion.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Spinelli said, as she picked at the remaining of her food. If her mother was going to go on about Clark this way, how would she react when Spinelli told her she was planning on meeting TJ later? She knew what her mother's thoughts were on TJ. Flo had always assumed Spinelli had a crush on him. Spinelli could unwillingly picture it now; she'd announce her plans, and her mother would burst out with questions, embarrassing questions. "Is this a date? Do you think he's good-looking? Wouldn't it be nice it you two got married?" If there was one thing Spinelli knew, she just wanted to get out of there and escape it all. So she would wait and tell them as soon as she headed out; that way, she wouldn't have time to deal with her mother's embarrassing questions. Especially when they were about TJ, her elementary school best friend.

--

Spinelli checked her watch; it read 6:20 pm. She laced up her black and white skate shoes and smoothed the bottom of her Rock Star tee absent-mindedly. Spinelli noticed the full-length mirror hooked on the wall where she stood by the front doorway, and peered into it. A pair of dark eyes stared back at her, her own eyes, transfixing her to look more. She ran her hand through the left side of her freshly-washed black hair, her reflection copying her. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to smooth her hair down; she had just realized how her hair was thicker than the average girl's. Spinelli moved her head slowly to the right, checking the side of her tanned face. She pressed her lips together and shifted them towards the side she was checking out, mentally questioning her appearance, which was something she rarely ever did. A small pink bump was spotted near her hairline; a forming pimple. _"Why now?"_ Spinelli thought as she poked at it. Her skin was normally clear, but every now and then, she'd get a pimple or two. What teenager didn't?

"Pookie, what are you doing?"

Spinelli let out a small yelp; she came out of her trance and looked at the mirror as if it were a disgusting piece of junk. Was she just checking out her appearance, like it mattered? Why on earth would she do that? It was so unlike Spinelli. And what was worse, Spinelli's feminine mother had caught her looking into it more than her average 15 seconds.

Mortified at her own behavior, Spinelli stuttered and, ignoring her mother's question, said, "Mom, I'm, um, heading out now. To, er, hang out with a friend. I'll see you later!" Quickly finishing her last sentence, Spinelli picked up her skateboard and was about to wrench the door open when Flo stopped her.

"Now, hold on, sweetie! What friend is this?" Flo asked slyly. "It's got to be a boy; you were just checking yourself out in the mirror!"

"No, I wasn't!" Spinelli shot back defensively.

"Yes, you were! Don't deny it; my Pookie wants to look pretty for her friend!"

For one fleeting moment, Spinelli felt herself wanting to hurl. _"No way,"_ Spinelli told herself firmly, _"that definitely not what I was aiming for. It's TJ, my friend! Who gives a damn what I look like? We're just a couple of old friends, about to hang out." _Yet she had to wonder what got into her and that mirror…

Spinelli glared fiercely at her mother, her cheeks burning. "I definitely wasn't," she stated determinedly, crossing her arms, "I don't care how I look. Seriously!" she burst out, when she mother laughed, not believing her. "And before you ask, I'm going to hang out with TJ- yes, my old friend TJ- and I'm right ahead of you mom, _it's not a date, he's not good-looking, and we're not getting married, _so forget it!I'll be home in about a couple hours, good bye." Spinelli tore her gaze away from the amused look on Flo's face, jerked the front door open and slammed it shut behind her, leaving her mother to contemplate the two truths and the lie.

--

It was a very temperate evening; the majority of the sky was still blue as could be, and the warm sun was still visible, hanging a little low in the sky, creating a golden glow around it. Spinelli was riding along the side of the concrete sidewalk, making room for pedestrians to pass her.

As Spinelli rode along, she started to feel a little spaced out. It was like she was riding through a dream; almost what she experienced yesterday as she stood outside of Third Street School. It seemed impossible what was about to happen. Twenty-four hours ago, she would have never believed she would be heading back to Third Street School to meet up with an old friend. And that old friend being TJ Detweiler, of all people. She couldn't believe just how fast she found him today; she originally thought she'd have to do a lot of tracking down to find him. Yet he was in one of her classes! And reuniting with him had all went better than Spinelli had ever dreamed; they had made plans to hang already. By the end of the night, it would be inevitable that they became the best of friends again. Spinelli would make sure of that.

--

Outside of Third Street School, waiting for Spinelli's arrival, TJ leaned against the metal fence and twirled his red cap in his hand, feeling slightly anxious as he felt his stomach clench randomly every now and then. He wasn't quite sure why he was feeling this way, and he hoped it would go away when Spinelli made it there. Maybe it was because twenty four hours ago, he never would have believed he would be heading back to Third Street School to meet up with an old friend. And that old friend being Spinelli, of all people. He couldn't believe she had returned to this town and how she was now attending his high school; he originally thought she was gone forever. Yet she was in one of his classes! And reuniting with her went better than TJ could have had hoped for; they had made plans to hang already. By the end of the night, it would be inevitable that they became the best of friends again. TJ would make sure of that.

TJ peered down the road to his left, searching for any sign of Spinelli. He heard it before he saw it; the rolling of tiny wheels across the concrete, a skateboard. The figure on the skateboard became distinctly clearer with each moment it drew nearer. TJ felt his stomach unclench slightly as he saw Spinelli; her eyes squinting as she smiled at him, the sun on her pretty face, her long layered hair whipping in the breeze behind her. His breath seemed to be caught inside his chest at the sight of her.

"Spinelli!" TJ gasped as Spinelli rolled up to him and hopped off her skateboard. He stopped twirling his cap and placed it back onto his head.

"Hey TJ, long time, no see, huh," Spinelli joked as she picked up her board and held it under her arm.

TJ gave a surprisingly shaky laugh. "Yeah, I know, it's been ages." He slowly reached over and grasped her shoulder. Was it just him, or was he feeling a little less confident around her than he was during school? Why was this sudden lack of confidence taking over him? He should be more enthused; he was about to hang out and catch up with his old friend Spinelli!

"Are you ready, then?" TJ asked.

"To go into the playground? Yeah, I think I can handle that." Spinelli walked up to the playground's entrance. She stood there silently for a moment, and then turned to face TJ again.

"Actually Teej, maybe I'm not ready…"

TJ was quite taken aback at this. All they were going to do was hang out as friends together at Third Street School… just as friends, right? Then why was there hesitation on Spinelli's part?

"Why not, Spinelli?" he asked, wondering what could possibly be on her mind.

"The playground gate is locked."

"Oh." TJ felt like smacking himself in the forehead. Here he was, thinking her feat had been with more meaning. He knew he had to get a hold of himself. _This. Is. NOT. A. Date. _TJ thought fiercely to himself. Damn Vince for putting that thought into his head! Damn Spinelli for looking so nice! Damn his mind and hormones!

Then, a completely delayed reaction, his insides sunk. Did Spinelli say the gate was locked?

"No way, for serious?" TJ dashed over to where Spinelli was standing, and shook the gate desperately. The metal lock bore witness that the gate was indeed shut tight. TJ groaned. Now they weren't going to have any time together at all, date or no date. Unless they could go somewhere else… but where would be better than Third Street School? How TJ had wished he had thought of this ahead of time!

Spinelli too felt at a loss as she looked at TJ, biting her lip. "So… now what?" she asked lamely.

TJ let go of the gate and shook his head hopelessly. Maybe they could come back earlier another day, when the gate was still unlocked. Both TJ and Spinelli knew that they'd rather not wait another day. But what other choice did they have?

"We could jump the fence, I suppose," Spinelli suggested. She gazed upwards, only to find barbed wire wrapped along the top of the fence. "Or not."

TJ paced back and forth, thinking. His thoughts were interrupted though when Spinelli spoke again.

"Hank."

Hank was the elementary school's janitor, and the most likely candidate to have a key for the front gate. If they could somehow get a hold of Hank, TJ thought, contact him by phone or something, he might be nice enough to come down and unlock it, so TJ and Spinelli could have their planned time together.

"Good thinking Spinelli!" TJ exclaimed. "We should look up his phone number and-"

"Don't need to," Spinelli nodded towards the school building's entrance. "There he is."

TJ felt himself flush, a mixture of relief, excitement, and embarrassment for not seeing Hank to begin with. Hank was indeed there, locking the front of the building. He must have stayed late to clean, luckily for them. He was a little heavier and greyer-haired than Spinelli remembered him from the old days.

Spinelli eyed TJ's flushed face with interest. She had noticed his less-than-confident behavior all evening and wondered what was up with him. She decided now was not the best time to ask him, seeing that Hank was now walking up towards them on the other side of the locked gate.

"Well hello there, TJ!" Hank said merrily as he recognized the red capped boy. "What brings you here?" He pulled out the gate key.

"Hank, can Spinelli and I hang out here for awhile?" TJ said all of this unusually quickly.

"Spinelli?" Hank's eyes bulged as he heard her name, and whipped his head over to where she was standing. "Is that really you?" As Spinelli silently nodded, used to this reaction that she had received all day, Hank laughed and continued speaking, "Why, welcome back to town! My goodness, you've grown so much since I last seen you, stomping 'round the playground in those big hiking boots! You were a small fry, but boy, were you a mighty feisty one!" Hank laughed again. "How long has it been?"

"Six years," Spinelli stated.

Hank shook his head. "Time sure does fly. Maybe not for you young people though," he winked. "Did you say you wanted me to leave the gate open for you?" Hank inquired of TJ.

"Yes, sir. Please," TJ took off his hat, thinking it might show more respect and give them a better chance of Hank saying yes. Spinelli snickered at this gesture.

Hank considered. Then-

"Just give me a time when you will be done. I'll come back at that time sharp to lock up. Have fun!"

Spinelli nearly jumped for joy, and TJ actually did.

"Hank, you're the best!" TJ slapped on his cap and punched the air in triumph.

"I bet it's been awhile since you two have had the pleasure of being here together," Hank smiled warmly. "Why stop you from reliving some good times?" Hank opened the gate for them. "So I'll see you when?"

"8:30, Hank, sir!" TJ said happily. Spinelli noticed that TJ was forgetting about feeling less than confident now.

And when Spinelli and TJ walked past the gate and into the playground together for the first time in years, TJ really _did_ forget about feeling less than confident. His insides swelled with ecstasy, like an inflating balloon he might have swallowed. TJ looked down at Spinelli to see her expression.

Spinelli was in awe. The amazement of looking upon the playground from the other side of the fence felt like nothing compared to actually being there, witnessing for herself the glow of the setting sun reflecting off the play equipment, making them look less old and rusted. Everything felt more real to her than it ever had before. She no longer felt like this was all a dream, nor did she feel spaced out anymore, but totally aware and absolutely content with her surroundings. After taking it all in, she looked up at TJ, who was still gazing down at her. Being here with him made it all the greater.

"So, what do you want to do?" TJ asked with a childish grin.

Spinelli's expression of awe turned into a challenging look. She paused, took a deep breath in, and then-

"Last one to Old Rusty is a freakin' rotten egg!!"

--

**And there you have it; TJ and Spinelli are finally alone in the playground together!! Who's excited? Oh I know you all are, hehe. **

**Well, once again, I am SO very sorry, it's ridiculous how long it's been since I last posted, and I hope it won't happen again. The next chapter will hopefully be here very soon! I hope I still have all my readers, don't give up on me, please!! I WILL finish this!! Promise.**


	12. Back In Time

Hooked On You

**A/N: Hi!! I'm totally back, before the week is up, with another chapter!! See? I'm back after a month and a half of nothing, and I'm making up for it by posting two chapters in a week. I hope the days of having to wait a month for a chapter from me will be over as of now. I don't want to let you guys down anymore. So here you go, chapter 12! Think you can handle the information being revealed in this chapter? Maybe, maybe not! Read on!!**

**PS: To ****animeaddict2323232, I win round four!! (does a happy dance) Hehe, I'm back on my game now. Watch out!! XD And I'll try not to scare you like that again, ok? (smile) I'll avoid disappearing off the face of the earth for a month at a time… anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!!**

Hooked On You

_a Jayla Starlight FanFic_

_-- _

_Chapter Twelve_

_Back In Time_

Spinelli dropped her skateboard onto the ground and tore off towards what

they called "Old Rusty", an old favorite jungle gym that had been replaced when they were in the fourth grade, but still looked like it had rusted over the last six years, still sticking with it's original name.

TJ ran after Spinelli, but just could not catch up with her. Spinelli reached Old Rusty first with a "Ha!", and started to climb it.

"Hey Rotten Egg," Spinelli called out to TJ, who had just made it there and started to climb up after her. "Is it just me, or did Old Rusty seem bigger back in the day?"

TJ looked down at the ground and chuckled. "Yeah, you're right," he said. "Either we grew or Old Rusty shrunk into the ground some."

It was just like Spinelli and TJ were sucked back in time six years ago, they way they handled the playground with such a carefree and childlike manner. Each piece of play equipment was stampeded by them, and they even found a ball near the school building so they could play a one-on-one game of kickball. Everything they did was for old time's sake. And they couldn't have been in higher spirits.

After an hour of playtime, they plopped down onto the grass for a rest.

When TJ asked Spinelli if she had fun, and she responded in the affirmative, he decided to take this opportunity to start his catch up session with her.

"So Spinelli," TJ said, taking off his cap to run a hand through his hair. "We got a lot of catching up to do, you know."

"Very true, Teej," Spinelli stretched her legs out in front of her. "So talk to me, man."

"You want me to go first?" TJ asked, putting his cap back on.

"Yeah, I do. You can hear about me later; I'm dying to know what's been happening since I've been gone!" Spinelli said truthfully; she had to end the lack of knowledge today.

"Well, not much happened in the group right after you left… I mean, the atmosphere in our group changed drastically…" Spinelli bit her lip, feeling quite guilty, as she listened. "But don't worry about it… it was bound to happen once you left," TJ shrugged and picked at the grass by his side. "We all held back, me with my jokes and leadership, Gretchen with her smarts, Vince with his game, though not by much… Mikey quoted a great deal of sad poetry, Gus was more sensitive than ever," TJ looked up. "Then he moved too, around the middle of grade 5, but not before we had an additional member to our group…"

Spinelli raised her eyebrows. "What additional member?" Spinelli said, a little louder than she had intended.

"Now, don't think we replaced you!" TJ held his hands up in defense. "She sort of, just… walked right in. No one could have ever replaced you, Spinelli," TJ said seriously.

Spinelli smiled, to let TJ know she wasn't mad. "Thanks, Teej… I didn't mean you had someone to replace me; I'm just a little surprised there was a new member. So… who was it?"

For a startling moment, TJ glared ahead of him, darkly. He looked like he was quickly scheming someone's murder. And then he spoke, more casual than his look.

"Corn Chip Girl."

Spinelli almost burst out laughing. She had to cover her mouth with her fist to muffle the sound. "_Corn Chip Girl?_ No, really?"

TJ's expression was unreadable. "Yes, really."

Spinelli let out a guffaw. "Ok, wow, at least I know she wasn't a replacement! Too nice for her own good, she was. Why did she end up with you guys anyway?"

"Good question," TJ said. "Well, for some reason, in grade five, she just, sort of… took a huge sudden interest in our group." It looked like it pained TJ to say this. "You know how she and Gus got along? Well, she decided to take it a step further and join our group completely. They were really close for awhile, I think it comforted Gus a bit after you moving… but then, he had to move too."

"So I guess Corny left you guys after Gus moved too?"

TJ shook his head gravely. "No, she didn't. She still remained in our group."

"Oh. Interesting…" Spinelli said thoughtfully. "Was she too shy to leave you guys after Gus left?"

TJ made an indistinct noise, like a grunt. Or a snort. A combination of both. "You know, she wasn't exactly how you remember her as, Spinelli."

Spinelli looked at TJ curiously.

"See, she took a sudden interest in our group, and with that came…" TJ cleared his throat. "Er, a "new personality". Actually, it was rather split. She was still a little quiet at times. But most of the time, she was rather loud. A little obnoxious, if you ask me." TJ rolled his eyes.

Listening to TJ talk about little Corn Chip Girl like this was totally unexpected for Spinelli. Spinelli just couldn't picture sweet little Corny being loud or obnoxious. It made her want to get to know more.

"Like how, Teej?"

TJ remained silent for a moment. Then, reluctantly, he spoke.

"She was pretty much the same Corn Chip Girl you remember at first. When Gus was here. Though sometimes she would have talkative spells around Gus, and that was a little surprising. But it was nothing compared to after he left. She became annoyingly loud at times, then annoying quiet at times, and sometimes she was, well, a real bitch to us." TJ scowled. "I guess she was more of a bitch in junior high, but yeah…"

Spinelli stared. "She couldn't possibly be a bigger bitch than Ashley A."

"Ashley A's a bitch to nearly everyone," TJ explained. "Corn Chip was a bitch to certain people. The wrong people. Like her friends." TJ pulled out a hunk of grass and tossed it aside. "And when she was, it was hurtful and unnecessary…"

Spinelli thought all of this through, difficultly. Why did Corny act like this after Spinelli left? Spinelli wondered if it had something to do with her directly. Did Corny have a thing for or against Spinelli? Or was it just Corny getting older and developing an uncanny mood?

"Anyway!" TJ said suddenly, with fake cheeriness. "Enough about whats-her-face! Would you like to know about us in middle school?"

Spinelli nodded eagerly. They both spent all of their middle school years in separate schools, so Spinelli was very curious to know what went down during her absence. She needed to catch up and feel like she had never left.

"Sure! Well, in the seventh grade there was Vince, Gretch, Mikey, and I who moved on to middle school, Corn Chip was left behind, two years younger," TJ seemed to brighten up considerably at this thought. "I got involved in mountain biking club and Student Council. I was actually elected school president in the ninth grade!" Spinelli let out a comical cheer, but deep down she was seriously very pleased with TJ's accomplishment. TJ grinned at her.

"Vince was of course on every sports team you can imagine, and we both were in basketball. All-star player, very popular, especially with the ladies," TJ said, admiringly. Spinelli chuckled.

"Gretchen went into middle school looking as she did in elementary, except with braces, but it didn't take long for her to transform into a nice-looking, popular girl. I think she decided to take more pride into her looks, you know? And when she did – wow – you've seen her, right? Even Ashley A. is jealous! Tender." Spinelli couldn't help but laugh in agreement. "So she got contacts in grade 7, and her braces came off in grade 8. On top of her looks, she was also the head of the class, naturally."

A question came across Spinelli's mind as TJ said this piece of information about Gretchen.

"Why the heck is Gretchen is academic math?"

"She's in all academic courses this year in high school," said TJ, and Spinelli's jaw dropped.

"But, _why_? Wouldn't that be too simple for her? Why isn't she in _advanced_ courses? Heck, why isn't she in _university_ by now?"

"Ahh, see, that's the thing," TJ held up a finger, to show that Spinelli made a good point. "You remember when she got that university offer in fourth grade? She refused, and kept refusing whenever she got any more, which believe me, she certainly did get a heck of a lot more. She wanted to go to university in her own due time, so she decided to lay low about her grades and smarts and skills until the time came, then she'd really wow the university she got into." As Spinelli nodded in her understanding, TJ then added, "She did join the math club in middle school though, to keep up her skills."

"Now… I suppose you'd like to know about Mikey, huh?"

Spinelli's insides squirmed painfully. This was something that crossed her mind throughout the day, and now the unknown was about to be revealed.

"Yeah," Spinelli said bravely. "I do, actually. What happened?"

"Well… I'm a little ashamed to tell you, Spinelli… but I must," TJ said, taking courage, or at least attempting to. "Mikey entered middle school with us all right, but of course, middle school was a big step from elementary school. Difference was to be expected, but I guess we all weren't very prepared for the amount of difference. Mikey blended in fairly well in elementary, but his distinctiveness really stood out like a sore thumb in middle school. People weren't as accepting as they were in elementary. Pretty soon, people started making fun of Mikey for any little informality they could find, and it was rather harsh. We, as in Gretchen, Vince, and I, stuck up for him as much as we could. As grade 7 went on, it grew a little weary. And when Mikey kept asking us to join drama club, and we kept refusing… well, I guess we figured we'd had enough. It was plain to see we didn't have much in common anymore. Vince was the first to give up defending Mikey, and gave the excuse that the stress of Mikey's teasing was "ruining his game". Gretchen's excuse was it was affecting her studies and mine… well, I don't even know if I ever mentioned an excuse. I don't even know why I didn't just join drama club with him, seeing as I'm taking it as a fine arts course this year in school. It's not like I don't like drama. I just don't know what got into me. Looking back, it was a pretty irrational thing for us to do, drift away from Mikey when he needed us the most. But, I guess he took the hint and didn't really care a whole lot, and he didn't come back around. The teasing still went on, but he didn't seem to care outwardly… but I think it convinced him to do something about his weight, because after the summer going into grade eight, he came back, really skinny. It was shocking! So there wasn't his weight anyone could bug him about anymore… but that was only one out of many other reasons gone." TJ shrugged, cheeks a little red after the story. "I guess those other reasons didn't bug him. He still seemed happy enough, heavily involved in the drama club and choir."

"Wow…" Spinelli wasn't quite sure how to respond to the story. It seemed really unfair that they would ditch Mikey like that, but she wasn't sure if she should speak her mind about that to TJ. She didn't want him mad at her. Besides, TJ had already admitted his fault to doing this. Maybe it was what Mikey preferred anyway. Spinelli just wasn't sure, and she decided to try and push her awkward feelings aside.

Deciding to quickly move on, TJ spoke up before Spinelli could really say much. "So, yeah, that's the story about that… so I've talked about Vince, Gretch, Mikey, and I…" TJ counted on each person his fingers. "How about Clark next?"

"Why not?" Spinelli agreed. "He seems like a pretty cool guy."

"Yeah, he is," TJ said with appreciation. "So, like I said earlier at lunch, Clark was in my homeroom, along with Vince. He had just moved here that summer, so he didn't have anyone to chill with. I'm not sure how exactly it happened, but for the first couple weeks of school we just ended up being at the same place at the same time often and Vince and I gradually got to know Clark more and hang out with him too.

"Sounds like he was stalking you," Spinelli joked. "Or it could have been coincidentally."

"He knows a couple of awesome guys when he sees them!" TJ used both index fingers to point at himself, and then he winked. "But for serious, we were never too concerned about how it happened, because we found out he was pretty cool kid. He has a lot of different interests; he was in mountain biking club with me, and on the soccer team with Vince. He even has a sweet part-time job at the Stadium! You know, where they hold exhibitions and in the winter time have an ice rink. Another interest of his was Gretchen," Spinelli's eyed widened and she mouthed "Whoa!", "and they dated in grade eight for three months, until they mutually decided that they'd rather be friends. But also, like I said earlier, his main interest lies in music. He and Gus rule at the guitar, and they both were in the school's guitar ensemble. They always played together whenever there were school talent shows, and did they ever bring the talent! No wonder, Clark said he's played since the fifth grade. And Gus even before that! So when Clark met Gus, they became best friends fast."

"I already told you a little about Gus, huh? Grade nine was when he came back; it was a pretty sweet reunion! And hilarious, because that's the way Gus is now. It was a pretty pleasant surprise. His guitar playing improved drastically too, and so did his athletic skills, to a degree. He joined the soccer team, but said he wasn't too great at anything else. And he was right." TJ chuckled. "That's Gus for you."

"So I know about you, Vince, Gretchen, Mikey, Gus, Clark, and even Corn Chip Girl… anyone or anything else I should know about?" Spinelli asked, longing to hear more.

TJ thought for a moment.

"Well, there was one time when Ashley Q. was one of us-"

"What?!" Spinelli blurted, her veins now pulsing with fiery fury at this injustice. "Why the hell was an _Ashley_ ever hanging out with you guys?!"

TJ winced, and then chuckled. For a split second, Spinelli felt like decking him for ever letting this happen. But she thought twice, and supposed there had to be a good reason for this situation. Plus, how could she ever have got up enough guts to hit TJ, no matter how tough she was?

"Because, she and Vince dated for eight months," TJ stated, and Spinelli's jaw dropped. "Starting in grade eight and continuing into grade nine."

"I thought Vince would've had better taste!" Spinelli made a face.

"Well, Ashley Q. was, and still is, very athletic. I guess what caught Vince's eye was the fact that she could play nearly all sports exceptionally well, and before they went out Vince had told me about her nicer side he somehow knew about. Yes, it's existent, Spinelli.

Spinelli thought back to earlier when Ashley Q. had, well, sort of, stood up for her when Randall was being a pain. Maybe TJ was really on to something.

"Ashley Q.'s in my English class, actually. As well as the rat Randall," Spinelli rolled her eyes as TJ muttered, "he hasn't changed a bit," and then she said, "She _did _seem… a little different. She seems nothing like Ashley A. is. What's up with that?"

"How about the fact that she's no longer an actual "Ashley"?" TJ said, bracing himself for surprise from Spinelli.

And surprise certainly did come.

"What? No way! Are you freakin' serious?" Spinelli asked, flabbergasted. "How did that manage to go down?"

TJ grinned. "Well, for some reason, when she started dating Vince, the Ashleys kicked Ashley Q. out of the clique. Best thing that ever happened to Ashley Q., in my opinion. She was a little bummed at first, but she got over it, and was very happy with hanging with us. Without the Ashleys, she was a fulltime nice person, can you believe it?"

"No!" Spinelli said. "But awesome!"

"I know. Isn't that a switch for ya? Ashley Q. being the nice one, and Corn Chip being the, well… bitch, to put it plainly."

Spinelli shook her head in disbelief. "It's so weird how some things never change, and yet some things make such drastic changes in such a short time!"

"Couldn't have said it better myself!" TJ said, wide-eyed.

With every piece of information TJ told, he gradually felt lighter and happier. It was like he was fulfilling a life-long goal, by telling Spinelli what he wished she could have experienced with him during those six years apart. By catching up with the past, it would be easier to move on with her into the present and future. One step closer to the best friend status again.

As Spinelli was thinking about Ashley Q., she realized something; Ashley Q. did not come eat with the gang at lunch. Was she still part of the group? Or did something happen between her and Vince? It must have been too hard to overcome, because Gretchen and Clark were exes, but they were still eating together at lunch as friends, were they not? Spinelli decided to speak her thoughts aloud to TJ.

"Oh…" TJ said gloomily. "Right. How it ended. You can thank Ashley A. for that.

As Spinelli heard this, she felt herself burn with revulsion. "What the hell did that bitch do?" Spinelli spat out.

TJ cleared his throat. "She stole Vince away from Ashley Q. I don't know why Ashley A. ever did that; I don't think she ever showed genuine feelings for Vince. Maybe it was to ruin Ashley Q. That's most likely the reason, because the Ashleys despised her." TJ shook his head in pity. "It wasn't really Vince's fault, but he didn't help the situation much. Ashley A. cornered him one day and forced herself onto him, and Ashley Q. caught them making out. I assume Ashley A. was doing most of the kissing. Vince and Ashley Q. were never the same, and they broke up. Ashley A. then asked Vince out shortly after and he blindly said yes, the idiot." Spinelli felt her fists clench tighter and tighter with every word TJ spoke. "For three months Vince hung out with Ashley A., and they were seemingly inseparable, until Vince came to his senses and came back around to us, complaining that he'd had enough. No wonder, she's a total nightmare even if you don't date her! Vince didn't want any ordinary break up, so we all made a plan. At prom in grade nine, he pretended to be cheating on Ashley A. by continually dancing with Gretchen. Furious, Ashley A. was, and broke up with him that very night. Just as we planned. Ashley A. never liked Gretchen, but after that she truly hated her. Luckily Gretchen can handle her. Ashley A. still thinks to this day that Vince has a thing for Gretchen, and vice-versa.

Spinelli couldn't help but laugh hard at the image of Ashley's dumbstruck and horrified face when she seen Vince dancing with Gretchen.

"Just what she deserves!" Spinelli slapped her knee in hilarity.

TJ laughed along with Spinelli. "Agreed," he said fervently. As he tried to stop himself from laughing, he managed to say, "Too bad though that Vince and Ashley Q. never made up."

"Mhmm…" Spinelli nodded, and wiped her eyes after her laugh. "Who knows though, maybe they will someday."

"Maybe," TJ said, though he was doubtful. "Well, I guess that's pretty much six years in a nutshell. For now. I don't want to waste all my stories in one day, you know." TJ leaned forward towards Spinelli. "Now here's the part I've been looking forward to!"

"Oh yeah?" Spinelli leaned forward too, their faces inches apart. "What part is this now?"

"The part where I get to hear about you!"

--

**Aww, now TJ wants to hear about Spinelli. Cute, isn't it? Anyway! Now you, along with Spinelli, know the basics of what went down with TJ and the gang during those six years. What are your thoughts? Review and tell me! Don't hold back, now! Yay.**


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